Median Retirement Balance Is $3,000 for All Working-Age Households

The median retirement account balance for all working-age households is just $3,000, according to a research report from The National Institute for Retirement Security. For households near retirement, the median balance is just $12,000.

That includes all households, including those who haven’t saved anything. The median balance among working-age households who do have a retirement account is $40,000, while those closer to retirement have a median balance of $100,000.

The NIRS report, “The Retirement Savings Crisis: Is It Worse Than We Think?” used data from the Federal Reserve’s 2010 Survey of Consumer Finance to determine how well Americans are saving for retirement and what still needs to be done.

“Retirement anxiety is running high and retirement confidence is running low,” Diana Oakley, executive director for NIRS, said. According to the research gathered this year by NIRS, 85% of respondents are concerned about retirement, and 55% are very concerned.

Oakley noted that with the defined contribution system, it’s hard for participants to identify how they’re doing in terms of saving for retirement, and few think it will get easier. Only 2% of respondents said preparing for retirement would be easier in the future.

Additionally, of those surveyed, more than 38 million Americans, or 45%, have no retirement assets, NIRS found. Among those near retirement, more than 40% have saved nothing.

The report found those who do have retirement accounts tend to be better off. Median income for households with retirement accounts was over $76,000, compared to $30,000 for households without accounts. Nine out of 10 households in the top income quartile have retirement accounts, compared with about a quarter of those in the lowest quartile.

About 80% of all households have saved a total smaller than their annual income for retirement. More than 60% of those near retirement have less than a year's income, including 31% who have saved nothing. Less than 3% of all households have saved four times their income or more.

The report referred to benchmarks from Fidelity and Aon Hewitt that recommend Americans save between eight and 11 times their income for retirement. Fidelity recommended workers increase their multiple by one every five years—a 35-year-old should have a year's income, while a 65-year-old should have saved seven times their income. Aon Hewitt recommended savers reach 11 times their income by age 65.

Source:  Danielle Andrus, AdvisorOne

The information contained in this article does not constitute a recommendation, solicitation, or offer by D2 Capital Management, LLC or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities, futures, options or other financial instruments or provide any investment advice or service. D2, its clients, and its employees may or may not own any of the securities (or their derivatives) mentioned in this article.

 

 The Jacksonville Business Journal has ranked D2 Capital Management in the top 25 of Certified Financial Planners in Jacksonville.  The Firm is also a member of the Financial Planning Association of Northeast Florida.