Ninety percent of Americans plan to change their investment and savings strategies in the next six months, mostly because of concern about the upcoming presidential election, says a new Edward Jones survey.

The U.S. presidential election was cited by 39 percent of respondents as the most significant factor affecting investment and savings changes, while health-care costs came in second at 30 percent.

Kate Warne, Edward Jones investment strategist, said the presidential election seems to have investors and savers worried because Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, and President Barack Obama are accusing each other of being ready to raise people's taxes, and people feel the need to prepare for that possibility.

Also, investors who do not feel the economy is in very good shape are anticipating new economic policies no matter who wins the election and are preparing themselves to make investment and savings changes, Warne says.

Health-care costs also are a potential cause for making such changes because most people think those costs will continue to rise, she says.

Financial services firm Edward Jones surveyed 1,010 U.S. adults in mid-July to determine which national and international issues are likely to affect investment and savings decisions.

The next most cited concern was European and global economic issues, with 21 percent of respondents naming it as a top reason for changing strategies.

The age of the respondents had no affect on whether people planned to make investment and savings changes, but more people 35 to 44 years old (46 percent) and those over 65 (45 percent) listed the presidential election as their chief motivating factor. Of respondents 18 to 34 years old, more (35 percent) cited health care as the reason to change investments and savings.

Gender made some difference, although equal numbers of men (40 percent) and women (38 percent) felt the presidential election was the top reason. Women were more likely to identify health-care costs as a major reason for change (36 percent) than men (24 percent).

Those in the western part of the United States were more likely to cite European and global economic issues as a reason for change than the general population (30 percent vs. 21 percent).

Ninety-six percent of people making more than $100,000 a year were the most likely to say they will make changes to their investments and savings, says the survey.

-Karen DeMasters