According to the research conducted by Age Wave, postponing retirement isn’t the only issue Baby Boomers are grappling with as a result of the economic upheaval. Fiscal responsibility and commitment to family weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of those who participated in the study:
Needed: Financial Rehab
• Lessons Learned – Only 4% of respondents strongly agree that Americans behave in a financially responsible fashion. 81% said that to “live within your means” was the most important financial advice parents could pass on to their children – jumping up from 69% a year ago. “Begin saving at an early age” came in second (65%).
• A Call for Financial Fitness at Every Age – An overwhelming 95% of respondents agree that financial management should be a standard part of high school curricula. Although 35 states mandate sex education, only three – Utah, Tennessee and Missouri – have, to date, made personal finance courses a requirement.
• Seeking Financial Peace of Mind – A majority of all survey participants (56%) agree that the best thing about having money is “feeling secure.” In recent months, we have seen Americans go “back to basics” as evidenced by an increase in the savings rate, now over 4%, twice the savings rate over the past decade, and household credit card debt has dropped almost 10% from the prior year.
Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
• What We Value Most – The majority of respondents (58%) said that loving family and relationships are at the heart of what we hold most dear today – twice as important as being wealthy (33%) and twenty times more important than wielding power and influence (3%).
• Brother Can You Spare a Dime (or $50,000, or a bedroom)? With growing uncertainty about both government benefits and work security, millions of men and women are turning back to their families for financial assistance.
• The Sandwich Generation has Turned Into Multigenerational “Rubik” Families – Four out of ten respondents now worry they will have to financially support their parents or in-laws. This growing interdependence extends to siblings, with nearly a quarter of Millennials worrying they will need to provide care and support for siblings as well.
