The business and political climates are impeding self-employed Americans’ ability to save for retirement. As a result, many plan to continue to work into retirement years or rely on Social Security.
So reports TD Ameritrade in a new report, “Self-Employed Survey: Understanding the Financial Challenges Unique to Self-employed Americans.” Conducted by Head Solutions Group on behalf of TD Ameritrade, the survey polled 1,505 self-employed U.S. adults across several age ranges, including millennials (ages 18 to 34 in 2015), Gen Xers (ages 35 to 50) and baby boomers (ages 51 to 69).
The research finds that six in 10 (61 percent) self-employed individuals are anxious about saving money for retirement and more than half (55 percent) feel they are behind with their retirement savings. Also, half (48 percent) say that unpredictable income and too many personal expenses (38 percent all, 49 percent millennials) are the main barriers to saving for retirement.
Nearly six in 10 survey respondents (59 percent) are not making regular contributions to their retirement savings. A comparable percentage (57 percent) of those polled expect to fund their retirement with savings. And half (51 percent) expect to rely, at least partially, on Social Security to fund their retirement.
“Self-employment is a rewarding employment choice for many Americans, but can come with a personal and financial cost,” the report states. “In the last 3 to 5 years many have seen the costs of running their business go up, profits decrease and their ability to save for retirement impeded, leaving many self-employed Americans far behind with their savings goals.”