Published in the Woonsocket Call on May 5, 2019

What resolution did you make as new year’s eve approached Dec. 31, 2018? You might have mentioned losing weight, or improving your health by eating healthy foods and regularly exercising. Better budgeting and saving money for retirement might have even made your short list, too.

According to a new national AARP study, reported in Financial Resolutions, Mistakes and Accomplishments, 83 percent of the 1,500 adults (age 35 and over), participating in an online survey, say they made a new year’s resolution or goal within the past five years. Over half (52 percent) say that saving money was their top resolution pick, followed by losing weight (43 percent), increasing fitness (40 percent), and getting better organized (40 percent).

Saving Money Most Popular 2019 Resolution

Sixty percent of those surveyed say polled noted that their 2019 savings resolution included a mix of short-term and long-term goals. Adults ages 35-39 (75 percent) are more likely to have made this resolution, compared to the respondents ages 50-54 (50 percent) and those ages 65 and over (45 percent). The most common goals mentioned by these poll respondents were building of an emergency fund (45 percent), paying off debt (37 percent), saving for vacation (41 percent), building up retirement fund (35 percent), and making home improvements (31 percent)

Just two months into 2019, when AARP’s poll was taken in March, 43 percent of the respondents who made a savings resolution for 2019, expressed concern that they were already at risk of not meeting this goal, tying their failure to unexpected expenses (61 percent), covering basic expenses (46 percent), or a drop in their income (20 percent) due to unemployment or a business slowdown.

The survey respondents say the most common financial mistake relates to not saving (19 percent), followed by buying on credit (10 percent), accumulating too much credit card debt (10 percent) and spending too much (8 percent).

By gender, when compared to men, women are especially likely to say their mistakes were related to credit cards and loans. Men point to mistakes related to making poor stock market decisions, bad investments or not investing.

The AARP survey findings reveal that making financial mistakes can have a lasting impact, too. Over 55 percent say that their mistake is still affecting their current financial situation.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled by AARP said it was only “somewhat likely” to “not at all likely” that the combination of their savings, investments and Social Security benefits would be sufficient to cover their financial needs throughout retirement. This included more women (67 percent) than men (51 percent). Only 41 percent of all respondents said their retirement assets are “very” or “extremely” likely to pay for their needs through retirement.
Over 35 percent of those who are uncertain whether they have enough money to live in retirement attribute their doubts to either not knowing how much money they will need in retirement (31 percent) or not knowing how much to save (9 percent), notes the AARP survey findings.

The AARP survey is in line with a recent updated report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found most households approaching retirement have low amounts of savings. When polled about their “biggest financial mistakes” in the AARP survey, respondents said their most common mistakes related to not saving enough.

“The situation is serious, but not one that can’t be improved,” said AARP Financial Ambassador Jean Chatzky, in a statement released with the report. “No matter your circumstance, there are resources available to help almost anyone take simple steps to improve your finances, start a savings plan and get into the habit of putting away money on a regular basis,” says Chatzky.

Education combined with learning simple steps to assist in saving more money are key help people make more informed decisions that result in either saving inadequately or accumulating debt, especially with credit cards.

Check Out These Savings and Planning Tools

Do you need to beef up on your knowledge on ways to better save for your retirement? If so, check out these websites…

AceYourRetirement.org, a website sponsored by AARP and the Ad Council, breaks down the retirement savings process into easy, actionable steps. Just answer a few questions about your savings and goals, and you will receive a personalized action plan that highlights three practical next steps.

AARP’s Money Essentials webpage offers advice about saving, living on a budget, managing debt and other topics.

The Social Security Resource Center provides answers to questions about when to claim, how to maximize benefits and other Social Security essentials.

A new AARP podcast, Closing the Savings Gap™, hosted Chatzky profiles women who are facing a retirement savings gap and matches each with a financial planner who then helps them solve common challenges in retirement planning.

AARP’s website also provides work, career and employment resources to help you maximize your earning potential.

For full access to the 38 page research report, Financial Resolutions, Mistakes and Accomplishments, go to http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/econ/2019/financial-resolutions-mistakes-accomplishments.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00309.001.pdf.

For more information, contact S. Kathi Brown of AARP Research at skbrown@aarp.org or G. Oscar Anderson at ganderson@aarp.org.