Benefits January 21, 2009

Americans Vow More Retirement Savings in 2009

January 21, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Some 59% of those responding to a recent survey said their top New Year's resolution for 2009 was to either start or build up their retirement nest egg.
Reported by

A TD AMERITRADE news release about its December survey said 48% of respondents vowed to pay off debt in the new year, and 47% promised themselves to start or build a general investment portfolio.

Forty-three percent of respondents said they are more likely to have personal finance-related resolutions for 2009 than they were two years ago, compared with 28% last year.

While the majority (92%) indicated they were confident they can manage their money responsibly, more than half said they wished they knew more about personal finance and that managing their money is getting more complicated than it used to be, the announcement said.

“We are experiencing unprecedented times in the history of our nation’s financial markets. (The) survey suggests that this has left many Americans questioning how all this impacts them, their families and their financial futures,” said Stephanie Giroux, TD AMERITRADE’s chief investment strategist, in the news release.

Americans indicated that of the resolutions offered, they would be most likely to keep the following:

Start or build retirement savings

59%

Spend more time with family

52%

Pay off debt

48%

Start or build an investment portfolio

47%

Have more fun

43%

Americans indicated that of the resolutions offered, they would be most likely to break the following:

class="bwcellparagraphmargin"> Relax or reduce stress

73%

Make more time for self

72%

Weight loss plan

72%

Exercise plan

71%

Eat better

70%

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