Despite the economic shock of the
coronavirus pandemic, American
workers and retirees remain surprisingly
optimistic about their ability to achieve
their retirement income goals.
In its annual Retirement Confidence Survey
conducted in January 2021, the Employee
Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found
that 80% of retirees and 72% of workers
were either very or somewhat confident
in their ability to afford a comfortable
retirement. "Even with changes in the
labor market, workers' confidence in their
ability to live comfortably in retirement
remains high overall," said Craig Copeland,
EBRI senior research associate and the
study's co-author.
On the other hand, he continued, "Three
in 10 workers say the pandemic has
negatively impacted their ability to save
for retirement due to reduced hours,
income, or job changes." Workers who
said their ability to save was negatively
affected were those who have historically
reported lower confidence, including
individuals with low income and debt-management
challenges.
Nearly four in 10 workers said their
households experienced a negative job
or income change since February 1, 2020.
One in 10 were furloughed or temporarily
laid off, while 18% said their hours and/
or pay were reduced. Half of workers
who reported a negative change said they
were either somewhat or significantly
less confident in their ability to retire
comfortably because of the pandemic. By
contrast, 21% of workers reported having
some type of positive change during the
pandemic, and just 17% now plan to retire
later than anticipated because of the
crisis.
Retirees seemed even more resilient.
Eight in 10 said their overall lifestyle is
what they expected or better than they
anticipated — results that remained
virtually unchanged from the January
2020 survey. Just 26% of retirees said
their expenses are higher than expected,
a decrease from the 2020 results. About
70% said their retirement confidence was
not affected by the pandemic. Study coauthor
Lisa Greenwald speculated that
some of this confidence may be because
retirees spent less overall during 2020, a
year with limited opportunities to travel
and enjoy other leisure activities.
The survey also revealed stronger
confidence in Social Security and Medicare,
perhaps because benefits continued
uninterrupted throughout the challenging
year. Both retirees and workers reported
the highest-ever confidence levels in
the ability of Social Security to continue
providing benefits at least equal to what
is received today. And despite critical
health-care concerns during 2020, 75% of
retirees and nearly 60% of workers were
confident in the future of Medicare —
another record high.
One-third of workers said they currently
work with a financial professional. Of
those who didn't, 38% expect to do so in
the future. Evidence shows that working
with a financial professional can help you
define and achieve your retirement goals.
As always, our credentialed team at CNB
Wealth Management stands ready to meet
with you and answer any questions you
may have.
©2021 Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. This material provided by Greg Pilato.
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