Retirement savings declining

An American worker survey by Principal Financial Group Inc. shows only 14 percent of Americans are very confident they will have enough money to live comfortably in retirement, and the percentage of workers currently saving for retirement has declined.

The survey found 58 percent of workers said they and/or their spouse are saving for retirement, down from 65 percent in the same survey in 2009.

Excluding defined benefits plans and the value of their primary home, 60 percent of workers say they have less than $25,000 in household savings and investments.

Fewer people expect their retirement age to be the standard 65. In the survey, 37 percent expect to continue working past that age. In a similar survey in 1991, only 11 percent foresaw working past 65. Half of recent retirees surveyed said they left the workforce unexpectedly, either because of health problems or because their company downsized or went out of business.

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