Every month ACCC holds a poll question for all to answer. In June we asked:
ACCC knows that a lot people don’t feel prepared for retirement.
Are You Prepared For Retirement?
We asked how people felt about their retirement plans, if they had any at all. Here’s what we found out…
Of the 282 respondents, More than 70 percent of Americans believe they are not financially ready for retirement. The poll found that more than 7 in 10 consumers surveyed reported that they are not adequately prepared for retirement, while over 30 percent of respondents are not contributing at all to a retirement account.
All too often for families struggling to recover from economic downturn, retirement falls by the wayside and becomes a financial afterthought. Many middle-aged consumers are faced with difficult choices such as investing in their retirement or investing in their child’s college education fund, but the truth is, not contributing at all to retirement now can mean working well into the later years in life.
Surprisingly, when it comes to income levels, of those respondents who indicated they are not prepared, 23 percent earn $75,000 or more. Those most confident in their retirement preparations were the 28 percent of consumers surveyed earning between $50,000 and $75,000.
And it is not just income levels that are impacting consumers’ confidence in retirement preparation; gender also plays a role. When asked about the level of retirement contributions over the past year, 34 percent women responded that they did not contribute any amount to their retirement fund compared to only 21 percent of males. Additionally, 27 percent of males indicated that they actually contributed more over the past year compared to only 17 percent of their female counterparts.
When it comes to retirement savings, men and women often face different financial challenges. Women are more likely to work part-time jobs, interrupt their careers for their family and, on average, are less likely to participate in a retirement plan. But all Americans should be thinking about their current retirement savings plans to ensure they are financially comfortable well into their later years.
When the 282 respondents were asked about their current retirement savings method, an overwhelming 49 percent indicated they use a 401(k) account, while 28 percent of those surveyed are part of a pension plan. Only 10 percent indicated that they contribute to a general savings account.
To participate in ACCC’s poll questions, visit https://www.consumercredit.com/.
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