The middle class believes in their ability to achieve the American Dream, unless the “Dream” involves a secure and affordable retirement.
New research from CUNA Mutual Group finds that few survey respondents feel prepared for retirement, with only 28 percent saying they’ll be able to retire with financial confidence in their lifetime.
In fact, many seem to be more focused on short-term goals considered hallmarks of the American Dream: 38 percent say they feel they’ll be able to buy a new car in their lifetime, and 37 percent say they’ll be able to travel internationally.
A lack of a financial wellness focus with education and support may be the culprit. According to a similar survey earlier this year, understanding available tools and resources and learning how to budget and manage debt are key areas where employees seek more information to better achieve their retirement goals.
And their own assessment of their financial security overall suggests they may be too optimistic.
When asked to grade the ability of the middle class to achieve the American Dream, the average response was B-. Fully 62 percent say they feel somewhat or very confident about their personal financial situation, and nearly half believe it is very unlikely that they will miss a loan payment over the next one to two years.
Yet adding to the confusion and contradictions, more than half of respondents are ill-equipped for an emergency, with 23 percent saying they have no emergency savings and 30 percent saying they only have one to three months’ worth.
“The middle class continues to experience stress from the long-term impacts of the 2008 recession,” Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group, said in a statement. “Markets may be rebounding and unemployment at historic lows, but we’re still seeing middle-class families struggle with sticky wages, inadequate liquidity, high debt, insufficient savings and difficulty building wealth. This population is among the most exposed to an eventual downturn.”
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
