Americans Need Financial Help, Report Lagging on Retirement Savings

Fifty-seven percent of respondents to a survey commissioned by TD AMERITRADE reported they are either a little or far behind financially in terms of preparation for retirement.

Of those, 36% are a little behind where they want to be, and 21% are far behind where they want to be, according to a release of the results. The survey found more than half (54%) of women feel they need professional investment guidance, compared to 46% of men.

Eleven percent of female breadwinners reported they need a lot of guidance from a professional when it comes to reaching their goals for retirement, compared to 6% of male breadwinners who report the same. 

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Of the 57% who reported they were behind in their retirement savings, 56% said the reason is that they have little or no money left for savings after meeting their regular expenses, 56% indicated they started saving for retirement later in life, and 61% of women and 43% of men said raising children set them back. 

More than half of respondents (54%) of all respondents expect to contribute more often to a retirement account in 2010. 

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is “extreme stress,” 10% of women reported “extreme stress” in managing their retirement savings, compared to 4% of men who reported the same. Nearly a quarter (24%) of those surveyed reported their biggest concern as they approach retirement is having to work longer to supplement Social Security income, and 19% cited outliving their savings. 

Forty-seven percent of women indicated “having to work longer to supplement Social Security income” is their top concern as they near retirement, followed by “coping with health care expenses” (38%). Forty-two percent of men identified “outliving savings” as their top concern as they approach retirement, followed by “coping with health care expenses” (38%). 

The findings are based on a survey conducted in February by Infogroup | ORC among 1,058 working adults.

The full results can be downloaded here.  

Transamerica Retirement Services Appoints Regional VP

Transamerica Retirement Services has hired John Low as regional vice president in the company’s Central Region.

Low will oversee all sales activities in Central and Eastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, and Western Tennessee. He will be based in St. Louis and report to Jason Crane, Transamerica’s Central Region division vice president. 

Low joins Transamerica from Nationwide Financial, where he most recently served as a regional vice president and was responsible for wholesaling retirement products through wirehouse, adviser, and banking channels in multiple states throughout the Central Region. He also served as an internal wholesaler.  

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