Home > All articles  Your advertisement here   Boomers and their parents deal differently with the economy In the United States, a telephone survey of 1,026 Americans over the age of 18 conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants found that about half (54%) of this group were anxious about the economy’s outlook over the upcoming year. The negative perception of the economy is higher in a separate survey that focused on respondents 45 years or older: 81% said the economy is in fairly bad or very bad condition. How are they dealing with the downturn? PROCEDURE: A telephone survey of 1,002 people ages 45 and older was conducted in April. Almost two-thirds (63%) of those asked owned stocks individually or through self-directed retirement plans such as 401(k)s or Individual Retirement Accounts, and 72% of these investors had lost money on their investments in the last year. FINDINGS: Among people ages 45-64 years, almost 25% are prematurely taking money out of their 401(k)s and other investments. Younger boomers (ages 45-54), in particular, are postponing paying bills (27%) and cutting back on medications (17%). Among those who were still working, 27% said they postponed plans to retire due to the recent economic downturn. Among retirees and people ages 65+, 59% reported having a harder time paying for food, gas and medicine. One third (34%) of all retirees have had to help a child pay bills in the last year. A small percentage (11%) of retirees sought help from loved ones or charity organizations in the last year. COMMENT: “The current economic downturn is forcing millions of Americans to make very difficult decisions on their immediate survival and long-term financial security,” said Tom Nelson, AARP’s Chief Operating Officer. “Taking money out of your retirement savings has a compounding effect because that money is not allowed to grow at a time when you have fewer working years to replace the losses. Even more troubling, shortchanging your health care can lead to higher health care costs down the road.” Source : http://www.icaa.cc     By K.S. Date 23-05-2008 Print this news| Send to a friend Your advertisement here