Retirement around the world

Earlier this month, we reported that 62 percent of American workers plan to delay retirement. As it turns out, feeling unready for retirement is not unique to the U.S.

People across the globe are feeling the heat of recession, unemployment, tax increases, and the cost of living, and it shows in the numbers. According to a recent survey by HSBC cited in CNN Money, people expect, on average, that retirement will last for 18 years, but their savings will only hold out for 10. More than 50 percent of the respondents feel that they are not saving enough to retire comfortably, and 20 percent of respondents are not saving anything for retirement at all.

Workers in the U.K. expect their savings to fall 63 percent short, putting them at the top of the list. Chinese workers come in second with their expectation that their savings will fall short by 50 percent. In the U.S., workers anticipate that retirement will last 21 years and their savings will last for 14, which creates a shortfall of 33 percent. Seems pretty optimistic by comparison!

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Nearly a third of the respondents plan to rely on government programs when they reach retirement, but the graying population and global government spending cuts may undermine those plans.

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