Abstract
From both theoretical and applied perspectives, understanding how pre-retirees envision their future life in retirement is important, because one’s view of the post-employment period can have a significant motivational impact on life planning. In this study, respondents from Mexico, the United States, and the Netherlands (n = 310/group) were asked whether they expected to have a good retirement income. Predictors of this measure of wellbeing included: (i) socio-demographic indicators, (ii) financial resource variables, and (iii) behavioral and psychological measures. Mean score analyses revealed that Mexican respondents were the most optimistic about their anticipated retirement income, followed by American and Dutch participants. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed substantial differences in explained variance across groups, with different indicators being differentially predictive of perceptions of retirement income. Findings are interpreted in terms of the way country-level differences in retirement financing systems differentially shape individuals’ perceived financial wellbeing in old age.