Almost three million Australians are expected to retire over the next decade, but not everyone is heading toward their golden years with confidence.

Many are still thinking about their “number” – the preferred size of their superannuation pot and their likely annual living costs.

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia suggests a modest retirement is achievable with around $630,000 for a single person or $730,000 for a couple, assuming home ownership and access to a partial age pension.

But for a lot of people who are their own boss, growing a strong superannuation pot feels nearly impossible.

According to wealth manager AMP, only 55 per cent of self-employed people or business owners across all age groups feel confident about retirement, with those in their 40s having the least confidence (46 per cent).

At the same time, women in their 40s feel the most vulnerable about their super future, with just 35 per cent saying they are moving ahead with confidence.

Bec Bremner owns Ottimo Bakery, which specialises in organic and sustainable flour-made sourdough breads and other baked goods, in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s northwest.

“You open a business and, in my case, you’re dreaming about sourdough, and you’re talking to customers and getting their feedback and responding to what they need,” she told AAP.

“So you don’t necessarily dream about superannuation.”

Ms Bremner has faced the tough realities of many small-business owners – rarely paying themselves what they’re worth or contributing to super.

“I haven’t contributed since I’ve opened this bakery,” the 46-year-old mum of three said.

Recently, Ms Bremner had to have a hard think about what to do next and decided to shift to educating people about all things sourdough and breadmaking, which had already been a successful arm of the overall business.

“That is more lucrative for me than making bread or trying to sell more bread,” she said.

And more lucrative for her superannuation goals.

“The next chapter for me needs to be finding a balance, continuing to build on what I love … and making sure that somewhere along the way I can actually pave and build a future for myself and security for my retirement,” she said.

AMP’s annual retirement confidence pulse survey, published on Wednesday, found 52 per cent of 2000 Australians surveyed felt financially confident about retirement.

That’s up by a meagre two percentage points on the 2025 report, indicating not much has changed in a year.

Almost three in five, or 58 per cent, worry about running out of money, with 47 per cent pointing to ongoing cost-of-living concerns.

Overall, only 42 per cent of women feel confident about their retirement, compared with 61 per cent of men.

Margot Shannon owns Merchant Campbell, an artisan homewares store in Yass, in regional NSW.

The 59-year-old is closer to her retirement horizon than Ms Bremner, and she’s observed how important it is to have adequate funds to build confidence.

“What you think you need is probably never going to be enough, and particularly as a woman who’s had to step in and out of the workforce,” she told AAP.

“So many women are already behind.”

As a small-business owner, Ms Shannon is also well aware cash flow can dictate how much and how often she can add to super.

“Superannuation is my fixation – I’m always wanting to make sure that I have enough money so that I don’t have to be beholden to anyone.”

According to AMP’s survey, there’s a 56 percentage point ‘certainty gap’ between those who feel financially confident (28 per cent) about retirement and those who don’t (84 per cent).

And that’s not good enough.

“Australia has built one of the world’s largest retirement savings pools,” AMP chief executive Blair Vernon said.

“But these results show we have a lot of work to do to turn those savings into confidence about retirement.”