Fewer than two in 10 American workers say they are very confident that their golden years will be financially secure, according to a survey...
Fewer than two in 10 American workers say they are very confident that their golden years will be financially secure, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
That figure represents a sharp decline — from 27 percent in 2007 to 18 percent in 2008 — the largest in the 18-year history of the survey.
Respondents said they were less sure about having enough for basic expenses, long-term care and medical needs.
“Workers may be waking up to the lack of health insurance in retirement,” the group said in a statement.
Most Read Business Stories
The survey was conducted in January, as the stock market was on its way to its worst monthly performance since September 2002.
Sixteen percent of workers — up from 10 percent in 2007 — said they were “not at all confident” in having a financially secure retirement.
Not all the results were grim. The survey found that retirees were moved to act after determining a retirement-savings goal with an online calculator.
More than four in 10 workers who did so said they adjusted their retirement plan — and most started tucking away more savings in bank or investment accounts.
“Faulty assumptions still hinder a realistic assessment of the preparations needed to ensure a financially secure retirement,” the group said in a statement.
The study was also sponsored by the American Savings Education Council and the market research firm Matthew Greenwald & Associates.