Retirement Savings Drop as Confidence Returns

A little more than a year after the worst of the financial crisis, many Americans are slipping back into their old saving and spending habits, according to a new study commissioned by the online investing firm Scottrade.

While 63% of Americans said they were concerned about the overall state of financial markets in 2009, just 45% said they were concerned in 2010. Nervousness and fear about retirement dropped from 55% who were nervous or afraid last year to just 40% this year.

American's concern about having enough money to retire has fallen from 56% in 2009 to 51% this year, the same as in early 2008, the study found.

“Americans appear more relaxed about retirement and are far less worried about their finances overall,” said Craig Hogan, Scottrade’s director of customer intelligence. “The number of people who reported being concerned about issues such as day-to-day expenses, education costs, paying off credit cards, and saving for big ticket purchases didn’t just decline – each category hit a four-year low.”

The study also found that fewer people, 67%, were planning to spend less and save more this year, compared to 75% last year.

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