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Retirement Planning > Saving for Retirement > 401(k) Plans

54% of Consumers Have Cut Retirement Savings Due to Inflation: Allianz Life

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What You Need to Know

  • The share of millennials that reported stopping or reducing retirement savings because of inflation was even higher.
  • Gen Xers worry that if they do not increase their retirement savings soon, it will be too late to have a comfortable retirement.
  • More than 70% of participants said they were keeping some money out of the market to protect it from loss.

Inflation in the U.S. is taking a toll on consumers and retirement savers, according to Allianz Life’s third-quarter market perceptions study.

Fifty-four percent of study participants reported that they have stopped or reduced retirement savings because of inflation, and 43% said rising costs have forced them to dip into their retirement savings.

The study found that 65% of millennials have stopped or reduced retirement savings because of inflation, compared with 40% of baby boomers and 59% of Gen Xers.

At the same time, 72% of Gen Xers worry that if they do not increase their retirement savings soon, it will be too late to have a comfortable retirement. More Gen Xers than millennials and boomers worry that the rising cost of living will affect their retirement plans.

Eighty percent of respondents said they fear that rising inflation will continue to weaken their income’s purchasing power in the next six months, while 75% are worried the rising cost of living will affect their retirement plans.

Three-quarters of those surveyed said a guaranteed lifetime income option, such as an annuity, as part of their retirement strategy would ease concerns about inflation.

“Inflation is not going away tomorrow,” Kelly LaVigne, vice president of consumer insights at Allianz Life, said in a statement. “Consumers need to prepare themselves by talking to a financial professional and incorporating some ways to help fight the effects of inflation into their portfolio so that long-term inflation doesn’t affect retirement.”

Allianz Life conducted an online survey in September among a nationally representative sample of 1,004 adults.

Opportunity Amid Market Volatility

According to the survey, 62% of participants worry that a major recession is right around the corner, a finding that has been consistently higher throughout 2022 than it was last year.

Allianz Life said this persistent concern is likely driven by the fact that 78% of Americans are worried that current world tension will cause a recession and 70% worry that midterm elections will cause more market volatility.

The survey showed that this outlook is clearly influencing investment habits, with 71% of participants saying they are keeping some money out of the market to protect it from loss, a number that has been steadily increasing over the past year.

Yet, more respondents say they are ready to invest. For the first time in a year, according to the study, the number of Americans who are ready to invest right now increased, rising by nine percentage points from the second quarter to 26%.

Millennials are more likely than their older counterparts to say they feel comfortable with current market conditions and are ready to invest. Some two-thirds of those surveyed said they are nervous about investing, but do not want to miss out on a recovery. Seventy-six percent of millennials expressed this view, compared with 66% of Gen Xers and 59% of boomers.


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