From left, Jean Chatzky, Margaret Herod, Matthew Silver, Mindy Levinson and Malandra "Milly" Smith.
At the American College of Financial Services' Horizons 2026 retirement planning conference, attendees had an opportunity to hear candid talk from the client side of the equation.
The Right from the Retiree's Mouth Consumer Panel was hosted by Jean Chatzky, founder and CEO of HerMoney, and featured four regular people who are saving for retirement.
A theme that emerged through these experiences was communication. In some areas, the panelists had trouble discussing major issues with both their spouses and advisors. However, they also said they wished for greater personal connection and less unnecessary outreach from their advisors.
Matthew Silver, an IT professional, is married to Mindy Levinson, an attorney. Both are 55. Silver said he is looking at retiring at age 65, but that he is concerned about whether or not he'll be able to continue to work for the next 10 years or possibly be displaced by artificial intelligence.
"It's becoming much more prevalent," he said. "It's something I'll probably be using in my job shortly. Everybody is using it."
However, Silver said he doesn't have a dedicated advisor, like his wife Mindy does, to discuss these concerns with. And he said he has yet to address the issue with his wife.
A lack of communication was also a roadblock for Malandra "Milly" Smith, a 60-year-old physician's assistant who also owns an urgent care practice. A mother and grandmother, she is aiming to retire within the next five to 10 years. When asked what she wished her advisor had done differently in the past, Smith said she wished that her advisor would have been more aggressive. She said she had been putting the same amount of money into her 401(k) for years, even though her salary kept increasing.
"They should have called me in and said, 'Hey, look at your W-2. Look at your taxes. You could be a lot smarter. You can take a bigger portion. You can actually have more disposable income if you did it this way. But that's never happened. It still doesn't happen. And I wish that advisors would be more proactive and a little bit more aggressive and really very counseling on a timely basis."
But there is also something to be said about having too much information. Smith said she would appreciate fewer emails and more short phone calls from her advisor.
"I get emails all the time about what's going on, and I just wish someone would pick up the phone … because honestly, at this point, I don't need to read emails," she said. "I already have so many."
And while Margaret Herod, a 66-year-old chief financial officer of a law firm, said she appreciates the way her financial advisor explains things to her, more communication, especially on the personal side, is not always better.
"I wish his wife didn't post on social media so much," she said, to laughter.
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