U.S. workers remain optimistic about retirement
Unfortunately, the outlook isn't as positive when they're asked about their immediate financial situation.
As COVID-19 impacts jobs and investments around the country, you would assume that Americans are worried about how this pandemic could impact their financial plans for retirement. But according to a new Gallop poll, the majority of Americans say they are not that concerned.
According to the 2020 installment of Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, conducted from April 1-14 of this year, non-retired Americans still believe that the income sources they have traditionally relied upon in previous years to financially be able to retire, are still on track. The poll shows that as high as 88% of the responders to the survey are still comfortable relying on Social Security as a primary source of retirement income, and 80% on their 401(k) payout. These numbers echo the poll’s numbers from last year, pre the COVID-19 pandemic.
Related: How employers, advisors, and the CARES Act combine to reassure retirement savers
And it may not just be based all on positive thinking. According to a Wealthramp survey that polled more that 100-fee-only fiduciary advisors, eight out of 10 advisors within the network reported that more than 75% of their clients can still afford to retire on time despite the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic. And according to that financial advisor referral services company, if clients do need to adjust their timeframes, 63% of their advisors are recommending they extend it only by 1-2 years.
Another indication that the COVID-19 economy isn’t worrying American’s long-term financial outlook comes from non-retirees’ estimate of the age at which they expect to retire, which currently is averaging at 66. The poll reports that this is similar to the average expected age of retirement recorded each year since 2009.
With all that said, the Gallop poll did indicate that non-retirees may be thinking a bit more about subsidizing those traditional retirement income streams with part-time work. Over 70% said that part-time work will be a major or minor source of retirement income, a rise of 6% year-over-year. And there was a similar increase from 68% to 73% on the reliance on personal savings accounts or CDs.
It is important to note that it remains to be seen how this pandemic will affect people financially down the road. Per the poll, most Americans have not taken a significant hit to their income and have yet to personally experience the economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
Because we are in the early stages of this financial crisis, the poll shows that Americans express far more concern about their future finances than not meeting retirement needs. A majority said their financial situation is getting worse rather than better. Also, 25% of workers now think they could lose their job in the next year, up sharply from 8% a year ago. If that comes to fruition, the results of this poll may look very different. In the meantime, Americans’ outlook for their retirement income remains very confident.
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