New TD AMERITRADE Survey Finds More than Half of Americans Consider Themselves Behind on Retirement Savings

Published in Business and Finance on Monday, May 17th 2010 at 5:42 GMT by Market Wire
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OMAHA, Neb.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--A majority (57 percent) of Americans say that they are either a little or far behind financially in terms of preparing for retirement, according to a new survey released by TDAMERITRADE Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD).

"Ita�s so important to make a plan and stick to it a" even if it involves putting only a small amount into retirement savings each month."

The good news? Those reporting being aa little behinda (36 percent) outnumbered those reporting afar behinda (21 percent).

When asked the reason for being behind in their retirement savings, 56 percent of respondents said they have little or no money left for savings after meeting their regular expenses, and 56 percent of respondents also said they started saving for retirement later in life.

aSaving for retirement clearly remains a pain point for many investors who are caught in a difficult anomaly that involves trying to plan ahead for the future while dealing with increasing expenses in the present,a said Diane Young, director of retirement and goal planning at TD AMERITRADE. aIta�s so important to make a plan and stick to it a" even if it involves putting only a small amount into retirement savings each month.a

The survey also uncovered several gender differences when it comes to retirement, including:

Of the 57 percent who reported they were behind in their retirement savings, 61 percent of women reported that raising children set them back, compared with 43 percent of men who reported the same.
47 percent of women cited ahaving to work longer to supplement Social Security incomea as one of their top two concerns as they approach retirement, as compared to 35 percent of men.
42 percent of men cited aoutliving savingsa as one of their top two concerns as they approach retirement, as compared to 37 percent of women
10 percent of women reported aextreme stressa in regards to managing their retirement savings compared to 4 percent of men who reported the same.

However, despite these differences, respondents of both genders agreed on one thing a" that coping with healthcare expenses is a top concern as they approach retirement. This challenge was the second-most voiced concern, with both 38 percent of women and 38 percent of men admitting they were worried about it.

aWomen tend to live longer than men, so ita�s surprising that fewer women than men are concerned about outliving their savings,a said Young. aRetirement planning relies heavily on future expectations and needs, which is one of its challenges. But we know people are living longer, particularly women, and if we plan accordingly, we can address these concerns.a

TD AMERITRADE suggests five tips to help investors stay on track:

1. Start today - ita�s never too early or too late to build your retirement savings.
2. Start an automatic investment plan to ensure that a certain amount goes directly to savings each pay period.
3. Contribute to a 401(k) and make sure you take advantage of any employer match you are eligible for.
4. If you receive periodic bonuses, elect to increase your 401(k) allocation for that payment if your employer will allow it.
5. If you receive an annual salary increase, take a portion of the increase and dedicate it to savings.

Investors looking for a do-it-yourself approach to retirement planning can learn more by visiting [ TD AMERITRADE's Planning & Retirement site ], home to helpful tools and resources like the award-winning [ WealthRuler^TM ]⁽¹⁾, which is free and available to everyone.

For more information on this survey, please visit the [ TD AMERITRADE online newsroom ].

AMTD-G

Survey Methodology

These results are based on a survey conducted by Infogroup | ORC of Princeton, New Jersey on behalf of TD AMERITRADE. 1,058 adults, employed full time, part time or self employed, participated in a telephone survey conducted February 18-22 and 25-26, 2010. The margin of error in this survey is 3 percentage points. This means that in 19 cases out of 20, survey results based on 1,058 respondents will differ by no more than three percentage points in either direction from what would have been obtained by seeking the opinions of all eligible US adults employed full time, part time or self employed. Infogroup | ORC and TD AMERITRADE are separate, unaffiliated companies and are not responsible for each other's products and services.

About Infogroup | ORC

Infogroup | ORC is a leader in global market research with expertise in Information Technology and Telecommunications, Healthcare, Financial Services, Public Services and Consumer Behavior. For more information, visit [ www.opinionresearch.com ] .

About TDAMERITRADE Holding Corporation

TDAMERITRADE Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD), through its brokerage subsidiaries,⁽¹⁾ combines innovative trading technology, easy-to-use and understand [ trading tools ], investment services, investor education and superior client service to create a market-leading financial services experience. Now home to the award-winning thinkorswim brokerage and dynamic trading platform⁽²⁾ and the Investools investor education program, TD AMERITRADE provides millions of retail investors, traders and independent registered investment advisors with the tools, service and support they need to help build confidence in today's rapidly-changing market environment. For more information and resources for journalists, please visit the [ TD AMERITRADE newsroom ] at [ www.amtd.com ].

⁽¹⁾Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, December 2009, WealthRuler^TM named to [ 2009 Best List: Retirement Resources ].

⁽²⁾TD AMERITRADE, Inc., member FINRA ([ www.FINRA.org ]) /SIPC ([ www.SIPC.org ]) /NFA ([ www.nfa.futures.org ]).,TD AMERITRADE Clearing, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and thinkorswim, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC/NFA.

⁽³⁾thinkorswim was rated #1 overall online broker, abest for options tradersa and one of the abest for frequent tradersa in Barrona�s ranking of online brokers, 3/15/2010. The firms were evaluated versus others in eight total categories, including trade experience, trading technology, usability, range of offerings, research amenities, portfolio analysis & reporting, customer service & education and costs. thinkorswim topped the list in 2010 with the highest weighted-average score. Barrona�s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company �2010

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New TD AMERITRADE Survey Finds More than Half of Americans Consider Themselves Behind on Retirement Savings