Baby boomers are conflicted about retirement. The number who think they will have enough money to last through retirement has reached a five-year low, but the number who feel their finances will improve in the next five years has gone up.
Those are the findings of Insured Retirement Institute research released Monday as the kickoff of National Retirement Planning Week.
The number of boomers who think their savings will last dropped to 27 percent, a 10 percent decrease from 2011, the first year the IRI conducted the study. The Boomers Expectations for Retirement 2015 study included 803 Americans ages 52 to 68.
Despite the drop in confidence, 44 percent of boomers expect their financial situation to improve during the next five years, up from 32 percent in 2012.
“These numbers suggest that uncertainty is creeping in, and more baby boomers are doubting their ability to make their savings last,” says IRI President and CEO Cathy Weatherford. “Many boomers have witnessed their last payday or are quickly approaching the day their final paycheck arrives. Unfortunately, the reality is few boomers can be absolutely certain their savings can last 20 to 30 years in retirement.”
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed who have a financial advisor say they are better prepared to face retirement than they would be without the advisor, she adds.
Certain characteristics are valued by those who have an advisor, according to Bruce Ferris, president of Prudential Annuity Distributors and chairman of the IRI board of directors. IRI is an association representing the retirement income industry.
Consumers want to have a long-term relationship with an advisor, and want the person to be accessible and value the stability of the firm the advisor is associated with, says Ferris, who was part of a conference call marking the kickoff of National Retirement Week.
The IRI research also shows that only 19 percent of boomers have $250,000 or more saved for retirement, while 40 percent report having no savings for retirement.
In the past year, 24 percent of baby boomers postponed their plans to retire and 28 percent expect to retire at age 70 or later, compared to 17 percent of boomers who expected to retire at age 70 and beyond in 2011.