NEW YORK, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bankrate, Inc. today released a new Bankrate.com poll, which found that 68% of Americans are unable to reach their monthly retirement savings goal. The survey, conducted by GfK Roper, found that Americans appear to be skirting the issue of retirement savings. More than half of the respondents (54%) find themselves at least sometimes avoiding news or information about how much they need for retirement. Three in ten (28%) said they always or often avoid news on the subject.
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The poll was commissioned to run in conjunction with the release of Bankrate.com's new Retirement Channel on the company's Web site. The new channel offers content divided into convenient retirement life stages, from early career - stressing the importance of saving early - to the actual retirement stage - providing advice to help consumers live within the means of their savings. To view Bankrate.com's Retirement Channel and additional poll results, go to http://www.bankrate.com/retirement.
"Americans need to know that planning for retirement is a fundamental component of financial well-being," said Thomas R. Evans, President and CEO of Bankrate.com. "Putting a plan in place and sticking to it is key. From new grads just starting out to Boomers ready to call it quits, Bankrate's new Retirement Channel offers the advice and tools Americans need to secure a better future," Mr. Evans added.
Bankrate.com's Retirement Channel offering is comprised of: -- Expert Q&As -- Ben Stein talks about investing for Channel launch -- Guest columnists -- Author Lee Eisenberg's "The Number" featured -- Celebrity quotes -- Read how the rich and famous make retirement plans -- Expanded Retirement Communities Map -- 40 places highlighted -- Stories and advice: retirement trends, Social Security and 401(k) changes -- Interactive financial calculators -- new ones to be introduced soon! -- IRA CD and IRA money market account rates -- Reader polls on retirement issues -- Money makeovers on Bankrate readers -- A searchable database of financial advisors (scheduled to launch January 2008) Key articles include: Why save for retirement? Decline of pensions; rise of 401(k) plans Those with a pension still need to save Prioritizing retirement savings Power of compounding Dollar cost averaging What inflation can do to your spending power Types of retirement vehicles 401(k), 403(b), 457 plans Roth 401(k) Self-employed 401(k) Traditional IRA vs. Roth IRA Simple IRA SEP IRA Investment options Relationship between risk and return Stocks, bonds, cash, mutual funds Importance of asset allocation Target-date funds Index funds vs. actively managed funds Mutual funds vs. ETFs International investing/emerging markets Company stock Making decision Borrowing from a 401(k) Leave 401(k) or roll it over? Consolidating 401(k) plans Catch-up contributions Converting a traditional to a Roth IRA Retirement moves When to take Social Security Wise withdrawal strategies for retirees How to take withdrawals from IRA or 401(k)/Figuring your RMD Funding retirement with rental income Basics of reverse mortgages
The poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted from September 14th to September 16th, 2007. A total of 646 interviews were completed with 341 female adults and 305 male adults who were not retired. The margin of error for this study is +/- 4 percentage pointes and is higher for subgroups.
About Bankrate, Inc.
Bankrate, Inc. ("Bankrate") owns and operates Bankrate.com, a leading Internet consumer banking marketplace. Bankrate.com is a destination site of personal finance channels, including banking, investing, taxes, debt management and college finance. Bankrate is the leading aggregator of more than 300 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used auto loans, money market accounts and CDs, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees. Bankrate reviews more than 4,800 financial institutions in 575 markets in 50 states. In 2006, Bankrate.com had nearly 53 million unique visitors. Bankrate provides financial applications and information to a network of more than 75 partners, including Yahoo! , America Online , The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times . Bankrate's information is also distributed through more than 400 national and state publications. In addition to Bankrate.com, Bankrate also owns and operates FastFind, an internet lead aggregator and Mortgage Market Information Services, Inc. and Interest.com, Inc., each of which publishes mortgage guides and financial rates and information.
For more information contact:
Kayleen J. Keneally
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
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