Living Color Retirement Savings Personalities

InvestmentNews

Maybe you're a worrier who wonders ifyou will have enough money for retirement,but you didn't think twice when you purchasedyour brand new widescreen projectionhigh-definition television. Or perhapsyou epitomize the eternal optimist, believingyou will effortlessly accumulate amplemoney to fund your golden years. Accordingto , either personality traitwill land you in the same financial boat—not enough cash for retirement. AllstateInsurance Company's "Retirement RealityCheck"survey of 1600 people found five differenttypes of retirement savings personalities.The red group, which comprised 13% ofrespondents, believes they will have to workin retirement. At 21%, orange respondentsare pessimistic worriers, because their recklessspending leads this group to regret purchases,neglect savings, and spend moremoney to feel better. The largest group at27%, those suffering from the underachieving blues, know they are supposed to savebut consistently fall short of their goals. Thegreen group has the fiscal smarts to stick toa budget, invest with discipline, and monitortheir savings. Their prudent habits will allow20% of respondents to transition smoothlyinto retirement. Which personality will leaddown the road to financial hardship? Theoptimists. Mostly aged 45 and older withless than $100,000 in savings, 19% believeeverything will come up roses in retirement,and aren't the least bit worried that theymay instead reap weeds.