Retirement Confidence is low in Women

A new report shows some interesting facts about women and retirement in the US.  I am highlighting six facts here, but the report contains Seventeen Facts About Women’s Retirement Outlook Select Findings from the 17th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of American Workers. For the full report (pdf file) go to Women and retirement some facts:

Fact #1. Retirement Confidence is Low Only 10 percent of women are “very confident” in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, compared to 19 percent of men. Nearly half of women (45 percent) are “not too confident” or “not at all confident” compared to only 32 percent of men who share those sentiments.

Fact #2. Many Expect to Retire After Age 65 or Not at All Fifty-three percent of women plan to retire after age 65 (40 percent) or do not plan to retire (13 percent), a similar percentage to that of men (54 percent). One in four women expects to retire at age 65, and 22 percent expect to do so before age 65

Fact #3. Half Plan to Work in Retirement Half of women (50 percent) plan to work after they retire, including 11 percent who plan to work full-time and 39 percent who plan to work part-time. Similarly, 52 percent of men plan to work after they retire, including 15 percent full-time and 37 percent part-time. Continuing to work in retirement can help bridge a savings shortfall; however, it may not be a viable option without taking proactive steps to allow for continued employment in retirement.

Fact #4: Are Women Being Proactive So They Can Work Past 65? A majority of women are taking proactive steps to help ensure they can continue working past age 65. Sixty two percent are staying healthy, while 54 percent are performing well at their current job and 42 percent are keeping their job skills up to date. However, responses were lower for networking (16 percent of women, 22 percent of men), scoping out the employment market (16 percent women, 18 percent men), and going back to school (12 percent both women and men). All in all, 91 percent of women have taken at least one of the six steps identified. More than half (55 percent) have taken at least two steps, 33 percent three steps, 14 percent four steps, six percent five steps – but only two percent of women have taken all six steps.

Fact #5. Most Lack a Plan B If Forced Into Retirement Sooner Than Planned An alarmingly low percentage of women (19 percent) and men (31 percent) have a backup plan if forced into retirement sooner than expected. While delaying retirement and taking proactive steps to enable continued employment during retirement, it is vitally important to have a backup plan if forced into retirement sooner than expected (for example, due to a job loss, health issues, family obligations).

Fact #6: Seven in 10 Women Are Saving for Retirement Seventy-two percent of women are saving for retirement through employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k) or similar plans) and/or outside the workplace (e.g., in IRAs or mutual funds), compared to 80 percent of men. Women retirement investors started saving for retirement at age 28 (median), while men investors got an earlier start at age 26 (median)