Recent years have brought tremendous change around the globe, change that affects us all. People are trying to navigate this shifting landscape, but it’s not easy.
In the first Investor Pulse survey conducted by BlackRock, half (50%) of the people surveyed said they feel in control of their financial futures and are confident they are making the right savings and investment decisions. However, this means that many (50%) may still need to take steps to achieve their financial goals.
The long-term impact of inflation
Only 19% describe themselves as ‘active investors’, with the majority choosing to hold their assets in what are perceived to be ‘risk-free’ assets, notably cash, often unaware of the long-term impact that inflation may have on their purchasing power (i.e. what they can buy with their money).
Tomorrow’s retirees aspire to an active lifestyle
As more people look forward to a lengthy retirement, expectations about retirement lifestyles are rapidly changing. Aspirations for an active retirement are very strong as people expect to travel more, take frequent exercise and take up new hobbies.
Working patterns in particular look set to undergo massive changes: whereas one in ten of current UK retirees combine work and retirement, this figure is set to rise with 30% who see ‘continuing to do some paid work’ as a retirement goal.
Biggest current financial priority
‘Funding a comfortable retirement’ came up as the biggest current financial priority for the people surveyed. However, there’s a gap between people’s retirement goals and their confidence in achieving them. Only four in ten (41%) of UK adults are confident that they will achieve the retirement lifestyle they aspire to.
The simple problem is that many are prioritising short-term demands over long-term planning, with retirement suffering greatly because it is such a distant goal. Over half of people in the UK (53%) admit to not saving anything specifically for retirement. That number remains the same among those aged 35-54, typically the age at which earning power should peak and planning for retirement should become more of a priority, especially as people are living longer.
A better financial future
People are adopting a broad range of positive aspirations for their later life, but it is clear that savings and investments behaviour often falls short of what is required to meet these aspirations. Over half claim to take their financial planning seriously, yet much of this planning is focused on meeting short-term goals.
Spending is often prioritised over long-term savings. Even where individuals are taking steps on the journey towards a better financial future, the sense of concern among savers and investors means that half of all people remain very much risk-averse. Also cash is seen as the asset class of choice.
Source:
[1] BlackRock Investor Pulse survey, conducted in association with research agency Cicero Group in September 2013 amongst a nationally representative sample of 17,600 individuals in 12 countries aged 25 to 74 years old, of which 2,000 were UK residents. The results of this survey are provided for information purposes. The conclusions are intended to provide an indication of the current attitude of a sample of citizens in the UK to saving and investing and should not be relied upon for any other purposes.
You should be aware that moving out of cash in search of higher returns will involve accepting a greater risk of capital loss. There are no guarantees that financial market investments will provide an effective way of combatting the impact of inflation on your savings. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
