More Americans believe that they won’t get a chance to fully cash in on Social Security benefits.
According to the 21st Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey, 73% of U.S. workers are concerned that Social Security may run out before they retire, and only 21% expect to rely on Social Security through retirement, Fox Business reports.
Only about 24% of workers feel “very confident” that they will retire comfortably. Workers have overall saved a median of $93,000 for all household retirement accounts, or well below the total that experts recommend that investors should be targeting. Consequently, the majority of consumers, or about 57%, expect to work through the traditional retirement years, either on a full-time or part-time basis.
“Despite the immediacy of the pandemic and its challenges, it is remarkable that workers are maintaining a focus on their future retirement,” Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of Transamerica Institute, told Fox. “Nevertheless, many are still at risk of not achieving long-term financial security.”
Debt is a major hurdle for many, with about 49% of surveyed participants indicating that debt is interfering with their ability to save toward retirement. Around 17% even revealed that they accumulated new credit card debt due to COVID-19 pandemic-related financial strains. About 62% of consumers said that getting out of debt was a financial priority amid the ongoing pandemic.
Meanwhile, emergency savings as a safety net are also at lows. Emergency savings are a key cushion to help Americans from being forced to tap into their retirement savings or to take out high-interest loans for unexpected expenses. Almost 45% of survey respondents stated that building their emergency savings was a financial priority.
Financial experts have advised people to build an emergency rainy-day fund to cover three to six months’ worth of expenses. The study found that workers with a household income of less than $50,000 only had $250 saved for emergencies.
For more news, information, and strategy, visit the Retirement Income Channel.
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