LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A growing number of people don’t think they will ever be able to retire. Nearly a third of workers under 55 think they can’t afford to stop working.

Cache Payton, 27, is not ready to retire just yet.

“I’m nowhere near ready to retire,” she said.

According to a recent Axios and Ipsos poll, 29% of workers under the age of 55 believe they will never retire. But the Starbucks barista says she has a plan.

“Instead of taking on positions just for the money, I always think about benefits like what kind of retirement they have and I am more focused on that rather than just do I want to work this job,” Payton said. 

She said the thought of her future self motivates her to save for retirement.

“I just start thinking about my future and where I want to live, what I want to do, and I just start thinking [about] what I want to do now,” she said.

A majority of those who don’t think they will retire believe they can’t afford to stop working. The Young Professional Association of Louisville (YPAL)is fighting that fear by teaching young adults how to be financially stable. 

“How to create a budget, how you can invest, how you can take advantage of a 401K and the matching contributions from your employers. You know, really working to make your money work for you in the best sense possible,” said Mclean Shutt, director of professional development for the YPAL.  

Payton said she is trying her best to stay on top of her financials and she said she hopes to retire within the next forty years. 

“I also think that 50 is a great age to retire, but I would love to retire even earlier, like maybe 40,” she said. 

The barista said it’s never too early to plan for retirement.