Most Americans Rely on Their Spouse for Retirement Advice

Half of investors surveyed by John Hancock credit their spouse as the person who has the most positive influence over their retirement planning decisions, followed by 40% who say their financial adviser has been the most instrumental. 

One-quarter say their father has been the most important person when it comes to their retirement planning. This is based on John Hancock’s quarterly poll of affluent investors, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Just under half, 48%, plan to remain in their current home when they retire. Twenty-eight percent plan to move to a smaller home, and only 3% plan to move to a larger residence. Among those who plan to change their living situation when they retire, 43% plan to move out of the state where they currently reside. Seventeen percent plan to remain in the same city or town, and 13% plan to move to a new city or town in the same state. Four percent plan to move out of the country, and 20% are unsure of where they will live in retirement.

As to their outlook for their retirement prospects, 60% think their retirement will be better than their parents’, and 25% think their children will experience a better retirement than their own. However, this last figure is down from 33% a year ago. In fact, more than one-third of investors think their children will have a worse quality of life in retirement than their own.

Greenwald & Associates conducted the survey among 1,018 investors for John Hancock between November 9 and November 20. To qualify, respondents needed to have a household income of at least $75,000 and assets of $100,000 or more.