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December 20, 2011 at 07:58 AM
Americans’ feelings of financial security are at their highest level in six months, according to Bankrate.com’s December Financial Security Index, which was released today. The overall index jumped 3.3 points to 95.8, the highest level since June’s 97.8.
Improvement was seen in every component of the index – job security, savings, debt, net worth and overall financial situation. The biggest improvement was in job security: those feeling less secure than a year ago fell from 28% to 18%, while 64% now feel the same level of job security, the highest recorded since polling began in Dec. 2010.
Despite the December improvement, the Financial Security Index is still below 100, which indicates that consumers are feeling less financially secure than one year ago. “2011 was not a year of progress in terms of consumers’ financial security,” said Greg McBride, CFA, senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com. “Each component – job security, savings, debt, net worth and overall financial situation – ended 2011 lower than where it was in January.”
Additional highlights of the December FSI include:
Job Security:
Those under age 30 feel more secure than other age groups, while those age 50 and up feel less secure than younger age groups.
Savings:
The under-30 set feels more comfortable than other age groups, while those age 50-64 and retirees feel less secure.
