Uncovering the retirement planning behaviour of Indian households through expert lenses – a grounded theory approach

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain deeper insights into antecedents and impediments related to the retirement planning behaviour of individuals. The investigation attempts to understand multiple realities from an expert’s collective assessment drawn from people’s experiences, feelings, perceptions and attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Using a grounded theory approach, the study adopts an inductive method to understand social reality. The sub-optimal behaviour associated with retirement planning is examined through interlinkages between various codes capturing the essence of the content using the code co-occurrence model via Maxmaps drawn from MAXQDA software. Findings The study adds value by collectively exploring the drivers, challenges and barriers to retirement planning behaviour through practitioners’ experiences. Their assessments of consumer’s responses and dispositions enable us to gauge the market for these services. It decodes retirement planning, which is a process of preparing a portfolio for retirement, post-need assessment of the individual. A retirement plan is not any single product but a portfolio of varied products customized to the investor’s needs. Research limitations/implications The themes and collective dimensions discovered in the study will help propel the study of retirement planning forward in an interdisciplinary way. Practical implications The results of this study provide valuable inputs for developing and designing policy interventions and guiding practices for optimal retirement planning behaviour. Social implications It has broader implications for managing the fiscal balances, retirement life satisfaction and societal well-being. Addressing the issues raised during the discussion will enable the society to attain ageing with dignity, leading towards sustainable development goals related to health and well-being. Originality/value The study makes a unique contribution to the literature by providing a grounded theory framework drawn from core themes, synthesizing thematic and evaluative codes to investigate retirement planning behaviour. The study is one of its kind, integrating experts’ collective assessments using software for qualitative data analysis.