401k Fear: Most Women Foresee Working Past Retirement Age

401k, retirement savings, 401k women

There's hope, ladies.

Retirement isn’t looking so simple for the ladies, according to research by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS). More than half of women plan to retire after age 65—or not at all. Of those, almost 85 percent blame finances.

In a recent report titled Here and Now: How Women Can Take Control of Their Retirement, only 12 percent of women indicated being “very confident” they will someday retire comfortably. TCRS detailed several factors that may contribute to the lack of confidence among others.

“Women continue to earn less than men and, therefore, have less income available to save,” Catherine Collinson, president of TCRS, said in a statement. “Women are more likely to work part-time and, as a result, are less likely to have access to employer-sponsored benefits including retirement benefits. Women often take time out of the workforce for parenting or caregiving, foregoing income and benefits altogether.”

Furthermore, she said, “Statistically speaking, women live longer than men, thereby necessitating that they save for a longer retirement. In combination, these factors can have a compounding effect that severely impedes a woman’s ability to successfully achieve a secure retirement.”

But there is hope, and the report lends guidance. According to TCRS, women can “take control of their retirement” in the following ways:

“Women have made tremendous progress in recent decades. Yet there is more work to be done in terms of overcoming inequalities and helping women achieve long-term financial security,” said Collinson. “This endeavor must be a shared responsibility among individuals, employers, industry and policymakers. Progress that is made can and will transform lives today and for generations to follow.”

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