Here’s how to check you’re on track, and what to do if you’re not
Saudi and the wider Gulf should be some of the easiest places in the world to save. Packages can be very strong. There’s no income tax on your salary. In Saudi especially, there are fewer distractions.
Yet most expats there don’t feel ready for retirement.
I’ve been helping expats for close to a decade and a half, including many in Saudi, and I keep seeing the same pattern. It isn’t that people earn too little. It’s that, for the first time in their lives, nothing is saving for them automatically.
This guide will help you check where you stand, and what to do if you’re not on track.
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The gap, in numbers
BlackRock’s 2026 Read on Retirement: GCC study surveyed 1,000 workers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In Saudi Arabia, only 41% of expats feel prepared for retirement, compared with 59% of Saudi nationals.
The same study found that among people who say they’ve started preparing for retirement, only 24% are actually contributing to a pension or savings plan. Almost half (49%) hold savings in cash.
People are saving. Just not in a way that builds a retirement.
Why it happens: nobody is saving for you
Back home, saving happens whether you think about it or not. In the UK, we have National Insurance and workplace pensions, and most people pay into a mortgage. It’s the same for Canadians, Americans and Australians.
In the Gulf, most people don’t have a pension. Many don’t own local property. And the end-of-service benefit isn’t a retirement plan. BlackRock describes it as sitting somewhere between a gratuity and a retirement benefit, and the money isn’t invested.
The study shows how much this matters. Expats with access to a workplace savings scheme were more than twice as likely to feel prepared for retirement (82% vs 39%).
There’s a second problem. Most people come to low-tax countries to save and invest more, but some get caught up keeping up with the Joneses. Many people live like they are on a permanent holiday.
And the Gulf usually isn’t forever. Hardly anyone I’ve worked with in Saudi plans to retire there. In Dubai, people usually move on when their contract ends. So whatever you build needs to work after you leave.
The six-question check
Answer these honestly:
- Do you know roughly how much you’ll have at retirement, from all sources?
- Do you know what your end-of-service benefit will actually be worth?
- Is your money invested for the long term, rather than sitting in cash?
- Is money invested automatically every month, before you have the chance to spend it?
- If you left your job tomorrow, would your savings and investments move with you?
- Would your plan still work if your next package wasn’t as good as this one?
If you answered “no” or “not sure” to two or more, you’re not alone. BlackRock found 32% of workers don’t know how much they should be saving each month.
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What to do if you’re not on track
1. Fix the roof while the sun is shining
Your current package may not last forever. Few expats on the best packages will earn as well as they do today forever. Job security is often lower than back home, and costs like healthcare and schooling tend to rise over time. The best time to save is while the income is strong.
2. Automate it
Set money aside for automated investments every month, so saving happens before you have the chance to spend it. From helping expat clients for close to a decade and a half, I’ve found this one simple habit is one of the easiest ways to invest more.
3. Make it portable
Most people leave the Gulf eventually, so your investments need to be able to leave with you. Many local accounts can’t stay open once you move, and investing back home often isn’t tax-efficient once you’ve left. That’s why, for most expats I work with, a portable account that moves with them makes more sense. When you move, you update your details, rather than opening and closing accounts in every new country.
A word on property
Be careful about relying on local property as your retirement plan. I know several people who lost money on Abu Dhabi purchases from 2010 to 2011, even after holding for over a decade.
Skills will buy you income, but assets buy you financial freedom.
About me
I'm Adam Fayed. I advise expats and high-net-worth individuals on investments and retirement planning, with clients in more than 100 countries and team members on the ground in places like Singapore and Mauritius. I'm a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, I've appeared on CNBC, written for Forbes, and many people know me from the money questions I answer on Quora.
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What happens next
If you’re earning well in the Gulf and want your savings working as hard as you are, it’s worth having a second pair of eyes on your plan.
Here’s how it works:
- Take the free eligibility quiz. Answer a few short questions to see whether your financial situation, goals and international needs are a good fit for my specialist advice.
- We review your results. If it looks like I can help, we’ll arrange a free call to go through your plan and your options.
- You decide. There’s no obligation and no pressure. If working together makes sense, great. If not, you’ll still leave with a clearer picture.
Source: BlackRock, Read on Retirement: GCC (2026). Survey of 1,000 workers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, January to February 2026.