Do the self-employed feel confident about their financial future? Are they confident that they have taken the right steps to limit financial risks? NN gauges this factor with the Financial Peace-of-Mind Index. In 2025, the self-employed score an average of 60.1 out of 100 here, compared to 59.2 among active wage-earners.
It comes as no surprise to learn that financial peace of mind is strongly dependent on financial reserves. The NN Financial Peace-of-Mind Barometer shows that the self-employed feel that having six net monthly salaries in cash reserves is the basis for financial peace of mind. This is the case for 43% of the self-employed.
Is it any wonder that in 2025 barely 24 per cent of the self-employed were confident that the government would still be able to pay out their pensions?
Self-employed people set their desired retirement age at 64 years on average, whereas the figure for wage-earners is 62 years. Did you know that more than 155,000 self-employed people continue to work after their retirement age? Remarkably, almost 13,000 self-employed people are still working even after the age of 80.
Two out of three self-employed Belgians over the age of 45 feel that they are not financially prepared for their retirement. This is a concern, because good planning is essential to avoid unpleasant surprises. An important reason for this lack of preparation is unclear pension goals and limited financial knowledge. Only 29% of self-employed people over the age of 45 have a clear picture of what their life will be like after retirement. In addition, only 35% of them know how much they will need to save to achieve a comfortable retirement. The result is that only 25% of self-employed people aged 45 and over expect their life after retirement to be ‘excellent’. Meanwhile, a remarkable 69% are striving to achieve financial freedom. This gap emphasises the need for effective pension planning.
For 54% of self-employed people aged 45 and older, long-term disability would cause serious financial problems, yet only 44% of them are insured for guaranteed income.
