Election Anxiety Is Moving Retirement Money. Should It Move Yours?

The 2026 midterm elections are only weeks away, and many investors are already reacting.

According to a new survey from the Nationwide Retirement Institute, 56% of investors say the upcoming elections are making them more anxious.

And 4 in 10 have already changed their retirement savings or portfolio in anticipation.

Some moved money into lower-risk investments.

Others spread their savings across different asset classes.

Three out of four financial advisors in the same survey say this election season is more disruptive to their clients’ planning than past cycles.

But here’s the problem: Reacting to headlines isn’t the same as having a plan.

Why retirees should pay attention

Retirees appear to be keeping a cooler head than younger investors.

Only 17% of Baby Boomers say they’ve made changes ahead of the midterms, compared to 72% of Gen Z investors.

That steadiness can be a strength.

But staying the course only works if the course was right to begin with.

If your savings are concentrated in just a few types of investments, a single shock, whether political, economic, or something else, can have an outsized impact.

That’s why many advisors are focusing less on predicting outcomes and more on building portfolios that can hold up no matter who wins.

In the Nationwide survey, 88% of advisors said they’re increasing their focus on diversification.

The lesson: build a retirement that doesn’t depend on election results

Before Election Day, ask yourself:

Would my retirement be okay no matter which party comes out ahead?

And:

Is my portfolio built on a long-term strategy, or on whatever felt right at the time?

For some retirees, adding physical gold and silver, assets that don’t depend on any single company’s earnings, may be worth considering as part of a broader diversification strategy.

Elections come and go every two years. But after decades of saving, you deserve a retirement strategy built to outlast any news cycle.

Is your retirement too concentrated in one asset?

Talk through your options in a free, no-obligation strategy call with a Precious Metals Specialist.