Longer life spans mean caring for elderly loved ones while raising children will be an increasing staple in American life.
And it won’t be easy, according to The PNC Financial Services Group.
Despite actively saving and preparing for retirement, members of the sandwich generation report they have been unable to build robust emergency savings and retirement account balances primarily due to the strain of financially supporting other family members, the company finds.
Nearly four in 10 indicate they do not have an emergency savings fund, and a third have less than $25,000 saved for retirement.
The demographic is acutely aware of its financial shortcomings, but instead of that knowledge spurring action, the stress of the responsibility is overwhelming to the point of creating an unpreparedness for the future.
“Our survey revealed that many members (29 percent) of the sandwich generation would prefer to bury their heads in the sand and avoid thinking about their finances,” Rich Ramassini, director of strategy and sales performance for PNC Investments, said in a statement. “The reality is that the only way to improve your financial situation is to be honest with yourself and commit to making the necessary changes required to prepare for the future.”
Thirty-eight percent of survey respondents report that they do not have an emergency fund, and another 31 percent have an emergency fund that would last less than six months.
More than half of respondents have $100,000 or less saved for retirement, with 32 percent reporting an account balance of less than $25,000. The average retirement account balance among the sandwich generation surveyed is $170,346.
Financial obligations sandwich generation members have to their family members
Eight percent of respondents report that they currently have financial responsibilities for both parents/elderly family members and children of any age; 45 percent are financially supporting either children or parents/family members; and 47 percent do not have any financial obligations to other family members.
Twenty-five percent support children under the age of 18, 17 percent support adult children over the age of 18 and 16 percent are currently caring for parents or elderly family members, though almost double (32 percent), expect to care for an elderly family member within the next five to 10 years. However, only one in five respondents have actually planned for those expenses, however.
The survey indicated that respondents who support parents or elderly family members are more stressed than those who are supporting children under age 18, though respondents with multi-generational financial responsibilities report being twice as overwhelmed as those who do not have financial responsibilities for children or elderly family members.
The one thing that increases feelings of financial security
The survey asked respondents to report whether or not they had a financial plan (written or informal) and/or a financial advisor. Very few (16 percent) have a formal financial plan, though 51 percent indicate they have an informal plan.
The results found a correlation between having a financial plan and stress levels.
Sixty-one percent of respondents without a plan reported feeling stressed about their finances, compared to 24 percent of those with a written plan who indicated they felt the same.
Similarly, 44 percent who do not have any type of financial plan say they would rather not think about their financial responsibilities. Less than a fifth (17 percent) who have a written plan feel the same way.