Although the national recession has passed, people's confidence in their finances has not returned to pre-recession levels, according to a survey by the Society of Actuaries.

The report, "The Impact of the Economy on Individual Retirement Risks," shows 62 percent of the retirees and 65 percent of pre-retirees are more concerned with their finances than they were five years ago. But at the same time, 66 percent of the retirees and 79 percent of the pre-retirees say they were more concerned about their finances in 2009 in the midst of the recession than they were a few years prior to 2009.

The survey by the Society of Actuaries included 1,600 people between the ages of 45 and 80 with half being retirees and half pre-retirees.

Although a majority of retirees (56 percent) and pre-retirees (61 percent) indicate their finances are worse than they were prior to the changes in the stock market and the economy, the percentages saying they are worse off have declined from the levels measured in 2009. At that time, 63 percent of retirees and 77 percent of pre-retirees said they were worse off than they were before the recession hit.

"In general, pre-retirees are more impacted by economic conditions than retirees," sayid Anna Rappaport, chair of the society's committee on post-retirement needs and risks. "However, if, like many middle-income and most lower-income individuals, pre-retirees and retirees have no savings and are not currently in the process of saving for retirement, they will have little alternative but to rely on Social Security."

The recession also has pushed people to look for advice. Of retirees, 22 percent feel they need more professional help than they are getting and 30 percent of pre-retirees want more assistance in saving and investing.

Half of the retirees and 74 percent of the pre-retirees feel they need to save more money for retirement. More than half of retirees (52 percent) and 66 percent of pre-retirees feel they need to do a better job of managing their finances or planning for retirement.

-Karen DeMasters