While it's certainly too soon to tell what sort of effect the Trump administration will have on retirement savings, how people think it will affect them depends on their age group. But most are sure the new administration will change their retirement savings income strategy.
That's according to a survey from Edward Jones, which found that 57 percent of Americans believe that the administration will have an impact on the strategy they use in saving for retirement income.
The study, conducted between January 19–22, took into account the opinions of 1015 interviewees across generations, regions and income levels.
Recommended For You
Survey respondents are also expecting it to be a rocky ride for the first quarter of 2017, with 48 percent of respondents saying that they expect an increase in market volatility throughout the quarter.
But while not all respondents were so optimistic, 42 percent of those with investments say they believe the new administration will have a positive impact on their portfolio in 2017. Twenty-seven percent, on the other hand, expect that the new administration will have a negative effect on their assets.
Probably unsurprisingly, long term, 75 percent of survey respondents expect the administration to have an effect on their investment assets, with 46 percent anticipating a positive effect. But how optimistic they are depends on which generation they belong to, with more boomers (52 percent of those aged 53–71) looking for positive returns in their portfolios in the long term.
GenXers aren't quite so optimistic, with less than half (48 percent) looking for a positive long-term impact. Millennials are considerably less optimistic, with just 39 percent of them expecting the administration to do good things to their investments.
"Regardless of what the perceived impact of the new administration is, it's important to focus on what you can control, and avoid making rash decisions based off emotion, especially where retirement planning is concerned," Scott Thoma, principal and retirement strategist for Edward Jones, said in a statement.
Thoma also warned against "reactionary decisionmaking … during a time of uncertainty," saying that despite "near-term bouts of volatility," investors should focus "on a long-term savings and investment strategy."
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
