SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 26, 2012) - Amid market volatility and a shifting retirement landscape, using a financial advisor clearly makes a difference in how Americans approach retirement, according to findings from the 2011 Franklin Templeton Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE) survey. Two-thirds (66 percent) of those who work with a financial advisor have an understanding of how much of their retirement savings they will withdraw annually in retirement. Meanwhile, among Americans who have never worked with a financial advisor, only 36 percent said they know how much they will withdraw annually. In addition, more than a third (35 percent) of those who have never worked with an advisor said they do not think about how they will approach different sources of retirement income.

The survey showed that 79 percent of Americans currently do not work with a financial advisor but nearly half (47 percent) of respondents said they would consider going to a financial advisor or switching their current advisor if the advisor prepared a written retirement income plan.

"A large number of Americans are not currently enlisting the help of a financial advisor, in many cases because they think they don't have enough money to warrant working with one," said David McSpadden, senior vice president of Global Advisory Services for Franklin Templeton Investments. "The fact is, most Americans do want to retire at some point, but they may be missing a key resource for helping to determine how they will get there. Sitting down and discussing their concerns, plans and strategies for retirement with a financial professional is a key step towards defining and putting together a plan to reach their goals."

Additional findings included:

• Of the respondents not using an advisor, 41 percent said it is because they don't think they have enough money to need one and 30 percent said it is because they prefer to do it themselves.
• 38 percent who have never worked with a financial advisor say Social Security will provide the most income during retirement -- twice as many as those who do work with a financial advisor (19 percent).
• While 35 percent of respondents who have never worked with an advisor indicated that running out of money is their top concern, among those who have worked with a financial advisor (currently or in the past), that same concern fell to 24 percent.
• 13 percent who work with a financial advisor say IRAs will provide the most income during retirement (versus only 4 percent of those who have never worked with one).

Methodology
The Franklin Templeton Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE) survey was conducted online among a sample of 2,046 adults comprising 1,020 men and 1,026 women 18 years of age or older. The survey was administered between September 15-18 and 19-21, 2011 by ORC International's Online CARAVAN®.

About Franklin Templeton
Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: [ BEN ]), a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management solutions managed by its Franklin, Templeton, Mutual Series, Fiduciary Trust, Darby and Bissett investment teams. The San Mateo, CA-based company has more than 60 years of investment experience and over $670 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011. For more information, please call 1-800/DIAL BEN^® or visit franklintempleton.com.

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