The Biggest Financial Worry of We the People Is Planning, Preparing, Saving and Investing for Retirement ... Helping Each Other

The biggest financial worry of We the People is not paying for college. Neither is it being able to purchase a home.


It's having enough money saved for retirement. And that's exactly the right priority, at least in my view.


This is the biggest money worry in your state has the details:


"The financial worries that keep Americans up at night differ depending on where they live (and sleep).


More than 10,000 Americans were asked to choose their “biggest financial challenge” from seven options: Planning for retirement, saving for a home, saving up an emergency fund, sticking to a budget, building an investment portfolio, paying for higher education, and paying off credit cards. Residents of more than half of all states named retirement planning as the biggest challenge, while one-third of respondents said they struggle most with sticking to a budget . . . .


Around 60% of those surveyed in Western states said they were most concerned with sticking to a budget, while two-thirds of Midwest states said retirement planning is their biggest challenge. Despite multiple reports that housing is becoming more unaffordable due to a double-edged sword of rising home prices and flat wages, saving for a home and building an investment portfolio were not among the biggest concerns for residents of any state.

“We saw a relationship between the biggest financial challenge in a given state and the local economic conditions,” says Casey Bond, editor-in-chief of GoBankingRates.com. “It’s also not a huge surprise that retirement planning is the biggest financial challenge among Americans overall, given near-zero interest rates and ongoing market volatility.” . . .

Around 62% of Americans said they have no emergency savings for things such as a $1,000 emergency room visit or a $500 car repair . . . . And only 39% of respondents reported having a “rainy day” fund adequate to cover three months of expenses . . . . 57% said they’d used up some or all of their savings in the Great Recession and its aftermath."


Summing Up


Over the years, pension plans have been replaced by 401(k) plans and IRAs for most Americans.


Yet most individuals have neither the knowledge nor the confidence to be able to engage in self help planning, saving and investing for their retirement years.


For those who are interested in learning more about the DIY way, we'll keep trying to help.


Thanks. Bob.