I Asked ChatGPT for My 2026 Retirement Plan: Here’s What It Said
Written by
J. Arky
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
While you should always consult a human professional for any and all financial matters before putting your money into any type of investment, artificial intelligence can give you a taste of some ideas you can use, even when it comes to retirement.
As an experiment, GOBankingRates asked ChatGPT for a 2026 retirement plan. The chatbot noted that in order to personalize this, it would have to know your current age and target retirement date, country of retirement, current savings or accounts for retirement, annual income range, as well as risk tolerance and major obligations or dependents. After all, retirement will look and be planned for very differently from person to person.
However, as a general outline in 2026, here’s what ChatGPT charted out as a practical planning framework, which it broke down into five pillars.
Target and Timeline
ChatGPT asked, “When do you want the option to retire (or go semi-retired)?” and “How much annual income do you want in retirement (in today’s dollars)?”
As a general rule of thumb, ChatGPT stated that retirement income should hover between 70% to 85% of pre-retirement spending.
Savings Rate
For 2026, the ChatGPT emphasized that the “priority is maximizing tax-advantaged space before lifestyle inflation eats it.”
Typical priority order starts with an employer retirement plan (401k account; super; provident; pension), followed by an employer match (100% capture), then an IRA or personal retirement account. and lastly, taxable investments for flexibility.
Target benchmarks, according to the chatbot, are 15% to 25% of gross income if you’re on track and 25% to over 35% if you’re behind or starting late.
Investment Allocation
Your 2026 portfolio should match the time horizon, not emotions, based on ChatGPT’s calculations.
As a general guideline, the AI noted that 20 or more years to retirement should be focused on growth-oriented investments, with 60% to 90% in equities, 10 to 20 years to retirement should aim for balance, and anything less than 10 years to start a risk-reduction strategy.
Also plan to rebalance once or twice per year and gradually de-risk starting around a decade before you actually retire.
Risk Protections
“A retirement plan fails more often from shocks, not bad returns,” stated ChatGPT.
Key checks for 2026 include an emergency fund between six and 12 months, a health insurance strategy, disability and income protection, life insurance for any dependents, and a basic estate plan in the form of a will or beneficiaries.
Flexibility and ‘Plan B’
Lastly, ChatGPT recommended that a strong retirement plan for 2026 should include: The ability to work part-time or consult, any geographic flexibility or lower-cost options for where to live, and an optional retirement date instead of a fixed one.
In short, plan for a future with a robust financial retirement plan, yet be prepared to pivot and adjust for anything and everything that might come your way.
More From GOBankingRates
