But here\u2019s what makes that number even more alarming: Plenty of people who believe they know where to turn are getting advice from sources that could do real damage to their financial futures.<\/p>\n
The survey tracked where Americans actually go for guidance. The results are eye-opening. Workers\u2019 top source? Family and friends. Professional financial advisors ranked third. And artificial intelligence tools nearly doubled in usage from a year ago.<\/p>\n
Here are all five major sources, ranked from worst to best \u2014 so you know exactly what you\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\n
5. Social media influencers and financial \u2018gurus\u2019<\/p>\n
One in five workers said they rely on financial experts or gurus from the media or social media for retirement guidance. That number needs to go down.<\/p>\n
These people aren\u2019t fiduciaries, which means they\u2019re not legally required to act in your best interest. Many are compensated by the products they promote or the clicks they drive.<\/p>\n
Some of them give perfectly reasonable general advice. But here\u2019s the problem: General advice applied to your specific retirement situation is like a general weather forecast applied to your backyard. Close enough to feel right, off enough to cause real damage.<\/p>\n
If a \u201cguru\u201d is telling you what to buy without knowing anything about you, stop listening.<\/p>\n
Quick aside \u2014 most internet financial advice comes from people who weren\u2019t alive during the last recession. I\u2019ve been writing about money for more than 40 years. Want rock-solid advice? Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter<\/a>. Takes 10 seconds. No fluff. No spam.<\/p>\n 4. AI tools<\/p>\n This one deserves more nuance than a simple thumbs-down.<\/p>\n AI usage as a retirement guidance source jumped from 11% of workers in 2025 to 18% in 2026 \u2014 one of the fastest-growing categories in the survey. That makes sense. AI is free, always available, and doesn\u2019t judge you for not knowing what a required minimum distribution is.<\/p>\n For education, it\u2019s genuinely useful. Understanding how a Roth IRA works, what \u201cfiduciary\u201d means, or how Social Security\u2019s delayed retirement credits stack up \u2014 AI handles all of that well.<\/p>\n But AI can\u2019t see your full financial picture. It doesn\u2019t know your health situation, your pension, your spouse\u2019s income, or your plans for your 401(k) when you change jobs. It can explain concepts. It can\u2019t build you a plan.<\/p>\n Treat it as a study buddy, not a strategy session.<\/p>\n 3. Family and friends<\/p>\n Workers\u2019 top source of retirement guidance is their family and friends \u2014 39% cited them in the survey, ranking them higher than professional advisors.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to understand why. These conversations are free, comfortable, and filled with good intentions.<\/p>\n But unless your sibling is a fee-only certified financial planner who knows your tax situation inside and out, you\u2019re getting advice filtered through someone else\u2019s life circumstances.<\/p>\n What worked for your neighbor who retired at 57 on a generous pension may be completely wrong for you. Use these conversations for emotional support, not for strategy.<\/p>\n 2. Your employer\u2019s HR department and plan provider<\/p>\n This one\u2019s criminally underused, and you\u2019re already paying for it.<\/p>\n Only 27% of workers said they turn to their employer\u2019s human resources or benefits department for guidance. That\u2019s a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n Your 401(k) plan provider \u2014 Fidelity, Vanguard, Empower, or whoever holds your account \u2014 typically offers free planning tools, retirement calculators, and access to real humans who can walk you through your options.<\/p>\n Your HR department knows the specifics of your plan: the matching contributions you may be leaving on the table, catch-up contribution rules once you hit 50, and plan features you probably didn\u2019t know existed. If you\u2019re not sure where your next retirement dollar should go<\/a>, that\u2019s exactly the conversation to start there.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t comprehensive retirement planning. But it\u2019s a solid, free starting point \u2014 and most people completely ignore it.<\/p>\n 1. A professional, fiduciary financial advisor<\/p>\n This is the right answer \u2014 but only if you find the right one.<\/p>\n About 4 in 10 Americans currently work with a professional financial advisor, according to the survey. Among retirees, it\u2019s their single most-used source of guidance, cited by 39%. Among workers, only 33% turn to one.<\/p>\n The key word is \u201cfiduciary.\u201d That means they\u2019re legally required to put your interests first \u2014 not their own commission income.<\/p>\n That distinction matters more than ever right now. A major consumer protection rule that would have required retirement investment advisors to meet fiduciary standards was struck down by federal courts earlier this year \u2014 a change that affects anyone looking for retirement guidance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you sign anything, ask two questions: Are you a fiduciary 100% of the time? How are you compensated? If the answers are \u201csometimes\u201d and \u201ccommissions,\u201d keep looking. There are 10 questions a bad financial advisor hopes you never ask<\/a> \u2014 know them before you sit down.<\/p>\n A fee-only fiduciary \u2014 paid directly by you, not through product commissions \u2014 is the gold standard. And the payoff can be dramatic.<\/p>\n Research cited by Vanguard found that working with a qualified advisor could more than double a portfolio\u2019s growth over 25 years compared to going it alone.<\/p>\n