Employees Become More Proactive with Finances

Employees are becoming more proactive and less reactive with respect to their finances, particularly with retirement planning, according to a new survey.

The survey, by financial education provider Financial Finesse, found that 73 percent of employees' financial questions in the first quarter of 2012 were proactive, compared to 67 percent in the first quarter of 2011. In addition, 30 percent of employees' financial questions related to retirement planning in Q1 2012, up from 26 percent in Q1 2011.

However, employees continue to report dangerously low levels of retirement preparedness. Only 14 percent of the employees surveyed by Financial Finesse in the first quarter of this year report being on track to replace 80 percent of their income (or their goal) in retirement. This represented a slight drop from 15 percent in Q1 2011.

Employees’ investing confidence remains low despite recent stock market returns. Only 33 percent of employees indicated they were confident their investments were allocated appropriately between stocks, bonds, and cash, down from 34 percent in Q1 2011, even though 92 percent of the employees surveyed this year said they are contributing to their employer’s retirement plan.

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Financial planning Wealth management Retirement planning
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