Tony Robbins, the well-known motivational speaker, warns that the most popular approach to Social Security is also the most dangerous.
On his blog, he says relying on the program as the foundation of your retirement plan is a “recipe for disaster."
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Here’s why Robbins encourages people to look beyond this safety net and why a growing number of working-age Americans are already leaning towards alternative strategies.
Social Security isn’t nearly enough
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is expected to pay out $1.6 trillion in benefits to roughly 69 million Americans in 2025.
Meanwhile, the program’s trust fund has assets worth $2.7 trillion as of December 2024. However, the numbers look far less impressive on a personal scale.
As of March 2025 the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit is $1,997. This isn’t enough for most people over the age of 65, since data from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) program shows that retired households spend nearly $5,000 each month on average.
Put simply, many retirees are currently receiving inadequate benefits. And the program’s future sustainability is in doubt, which means future retirees could potentially see even lower benefits.
Trust fund assets are expected to be depleted by 2033, according to the SSA, while some of the Trump administration’s proposed tax cuts could deplete the funds in as little as six years, according to an NPR interview with Committee for a Responsible Budget’s Marc Goldwein.
Taxpayers are well-aware of these challenges as concerns about the future of the program hit a 15-year high recently — with 52% of Gallup poll respondents saying they have a “great deal” of worry.
In other words, Social Security can be an unreliable foundation for your retirement plan. The benefit paychecks are insufficient for some today, let alone a few decades in the future.
With that in mind, Robbins offers some blunt advice to anyone planning their financial future around the program
“Time to get your head out of the sand and do some easy number crunching to find out where you are and where you need to be,” he wrote in the blog post. “Remember this: anticipation is the ultimate power. Losers react; leaders anticipate.”
In summary, he encourages working-age Americans to create their own nest egg.
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A better plan for your future
Instead of relying on Social Security to secure your retirement, it could be a good idea to start building out an independent retirement fund as soon as you can.
Robbins recommends targeting savings of roughly 20 times your annual expenses. This can be coupled with the 4% withdrawal rule, which means you can safely use 4% of these assets (while adjusting for inflation) to meet living expenses every year without depleting your funds over the long-term.
Assuming your monthly expenses in retirement are $5,000, you may need a retirement fund worth roughly $1.5 million based on this rule-of-thumb.
However, the median net worth of someone in their 60s is just $439,154, according to Empower, which means most retirees fall short of this target.
To avoid this trap and reach your target as quickly and efficiently as possible, consider maximizing the use of tax-advantaged retirement accounts.
A 401(k) plan or Roth IRA, potentially combined with employer matching contributions, could help you get to your retirement goal faster.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
