New John Hancock Retirement Report Shares Insights Across Generations on Overall Preparedness and Financial Resilience as Longevity Increases
Report suggests actions for each generation and how retirement plan providers, plan sponsors and advisors can help them work towards better outcomes
With longer lives and potentially more years in retirement, action during working years is crucial
October 22, 2024
Boston – Today, John Hancock Retirement, a company of Manulife Investment Management, released the John Hancock Financial Resilience and Longevity Report, incorporating data from its tenth annual survey of its U.S. retirement plan participants and a separate panel of U.S. retirees. The report shows how workers continue to face financial challenges, with Baby Boomers generally in a better financial position compared to Gen Xers and Gen Z/Millennials. Retiree experiences differ quite significantly depending on how/when respondents retired – as planned or earlier than expected.
Against a backdrop of longer life expectancy, and potentially more years to fund in retirement, the report explores what can be done to help improve financial resilience when working, possibly enabling people to save more for retirement.
In addition to this latest report, earlier this year, as part of its focus on increasing longevity, John Hancock and Manulife announced a five-year, multimillion dollar collaboration with MIT AgeLab with the goals of raising public awareness and driving innovation in how people prepare for longer lives. Insights from this work will be used by the business to help financial professionals and plan sponsors do all they can to help individuals prepare for a comfortable retirement.
“All over the world, people are living longer. While we used to count retirement in years, now, many of us can look forward to counting it in decades,” said Aimee DeCamillo, Global Head of Retirement, Manulife Investment Management. “With life expectancy close to 80, Americans must now plan for how they’ll live and fund multiple decades of retirement. This year’s report brings additional clarity to help participants save, stay invested, and transition into retirement.”
The report suggests that the age at which a worker plans to retire (their target retirement age) depends partly on the financial resilience they’re able to achieve during their working years. It refers to financial resilience as the ability to navigate financial obstacles such as debt, college costs, healthcare expenses, and emergencies. Workers struggling to meet their current financial needs often struggle to build this resilience and tend to delay saving for retirement.
Additionally, the target retirement age is a fundamental factor in managing a longer retirement. While workers often have an age in mind, many end up retiring earlier than planned. The report indicates that 62% of U.S. retirees left the workforce sooner than expected, shortening their savings period, and extending their retirement years.
“I applaud John Hancock Retirement for bringing the longevity lens to its work in helping people prepare for retirement,” said Dr. Joseph Coughlin, founder and director, MIT AgeLab. “Together we are working to educate and motivate people to do what it takes for themselves, their families, and their communities—to turn a longer life into a better life for all, and funding a secure retirement is a critical component.”
Additional findings from the John Hancock Financial Resilience and Longevity Reportinclude:
Personal finances remain strained
Despite improvements in the economy since the last survey, workers are still nearly twice as likely to describe their finances as fair or poor (41%) as they are to call them very good or excellent (22%). About half consider their level of debt to be a problem, and only slightly fewer (45%) are concerned about their emergency savings.
The situation is most concerning among Gen Z/Millennials, with more than half (53%) reporting a poor/fair financial situation. Although Baby Boomers are least likely to describe their financial situation as poor/fair, a third (32%) do feel this way.
Retirement preparation is behind
Half of workers report being behind in their retirement saving and only 1 in 3 feel they are on track. Less than one third have completed a formal and comprehensive retirement plan and the same number have a financial advisor. Despite being most likely to feel their retirement savings are on track, 2 in 5 Baby Boomers say they’re behind.
On average, workers expect to retire 4 years later than they’d like to, most commonly so they can continue to work to increase retirement savings or pay off debt. However, because our retiree data shows almost two thirds of retirees stopped working earlier than expected, it may not be realistic for workers to count on having the extra time to save.
While 3 in 5 U.S. workers make saving for retirement a priority, 2 in 5 say they would be saving more if they could better manage their finances. Gen Z/Millennials and Gen X are more likely than Baby Boomers to say managing their financial priorities is getting in the way of saving for retirement.
Close to half of U.S. workers are worried about being able to afford basic expenses or healthcare in retirement. Generationally, Gen Z/Millennials’ concern about affording the basics in retirement has increased since 2022. Along with Gen X, they’re also more likely than Baby Boomers to worry about this a great deal.
Workers with an advisor or a formal retirement plan report better financial situations and increased retirement readiness
Nearly 80% of those with an advisor said they were in a good financial situation, compared to 52% without. Having a comprehensive retirement plan also correlated to having a good financial situation, with 78% reporting a better financial situation vs. 54% who didn’t have one.
As well, 45% of those with an advisor reported being on track for retirement savings compared to 26% who did not work with one. And 47% those with a retirement plan were on track for retirement savings vs 24% of those without one.
Employers can help by providing resources for financial planning and investing, and engaging with participants digitally
In the survey, workers said they’d like more support for financial planning and investing. Currently, they most commonly consult financial blogs and websites for financial advice about planning and investing. The greatest untapped interest is in consulting with a financial advisor in-person or virtually.
As in past years, survey results, in combination with John Hancock Retirement’s participant data, found that workers who engage with their retirement plans digitally—by logging in to the plan website or opening email communications from their plan—are more likely to report that they’re in good financial shape and on track for retirement than their less engaged peers.
More than 6 in 10 employees opening 6 or more emails from their financial wellness provider in a year reported being in a good financial situation, compared to 53% who only opened 1 or 2. Similarly, those who’d logged in to the financial wellness website within the year vs. not since last year (2023) or earlier also reported having a good financial situation, 62% vs. 50%.
“With more than 56,000 plans of varying sizes, we offer plan design and features to help improve savings, encourage the adoption of tools that use data and modeling to help show individualized scenarios, and harness technology to engage with participants in a personalized manner so as to be most effective in helping them succeed,” said Wayne Park, CEO, John Hancock Retirement. “We want to make sure each participant has what they need and feels comfortable investing and saving for their financial lives in partnership with sponsors, advisors and third-party administrators to help achieve the best outcome possible.”
Retiring before expected can create financial challenges
American workers who retired as planned or later have a significantly more positive outlook on their financial situation and resilience than those who retired early. Their preparedness may be a key driver of this optimism. The majority had a formal plan in place before retiring, and more than half work with a financial professional.
Alternatively, sixty-two percent of retirees left the workforce sooner than expected and are facing more financial challenges compared to retirees who were able to retire as planned or later. Almost three quarters (72%) of early retirees wish they had saved more before retiring, compared with 47% of their counterparts. As the cost of living rises, these retirees are more likely to need a change in lifestyle and spending habits to manage the gap in their retirement income.
“Responses from retirees indicate there is a lot about retirement that truly is a dream. As you might be imagining for your own retirement, they are relaxing, enjoying hobbies, and connecting with family and friends with the time they are no longer needing to dedicate to full time work,” added Mr. Park. “Our goal is to help people make the most of their retirement plans to diligently save and invest, to help them feel secure – no matter the number of years that are spent in retirement.”
Methodology
John Hancock’s tenth annual financial resilience and longevity survey, John Hancock, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide Canada Inc. (Edelman), June 2024. This information is general in nature and is not intended to constitute legal or investment advice. Edelman and John Hancock are not affiliated, and neither is responsible for the liabilities of the other. This report presents the results of research conducted by Edelman on behalf of John Hancock. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the financial situation and level of financial stress of John Hancock plan participants and American retirees; (2) determine the key triggers of financial stress; (3) understand the extent to which actions, including actual financial behavior and planning activity, ameliorate stress; (4) assess longevity and retirement preparation and readiness; and (5) investigate custom insights around how retirees are faring in retirement. This was an online survey comprising of two participant samples: John Hancock plan participants and American retirees. The John Hancock plan participant sample comprised 2,623 John Hancock plan participants. The survey for this sample was conducted from 05/17/24 through 06/03/24, with an average survey length of approximately 18 minutes per respondent. Respondents were located from a list of eligible plan participants provided by John Hancock. The American retiree sample comprised of 525 retired Americans, sourced through Angus Reid’s research panel. The survey for this sample was conducted from 05/13/24 through 05/28/24, with an average survey length of approximately 12 minutes per respondent. All statistical testing is done at 0.95 significance levels. Percentages in the tables and charts may not total to 100 due to rounding and/or missing categories.
About Manulife Investment Management
Manulife Investment Management is the brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. Our mission is to make decisions easier and lives better by empowering investors for a better tomorrow. Serving more than 19 million individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members, we believe our global reach, complementary businesses, and the strength of our parent company position us to help investors capitalize on today’s emerging global trends. We provide our clients access to public and private investment solutions across equities, fixed income, multi-asset, alternative, and sustainability-linked strategies, such as natural capital, to help them make more informed financial decisions and achieve their investment objectives. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.
About John Hancock and Manulife
John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better by providing financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com. One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than ten million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance and annuities. John Hancock also supports US investors by bringing leading investment capabilities and retirement planning and administration expertise to individuals and institutions. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
John Hancock Retirement
John Hancock Retirement is the U.S. retirement business of Manulife Investment Management. For more than 50 years, we’ve helped people plan and invest for retirement; today, we’re one of the largest full-service providers in the United States.1 We take a hands-on consultative approach based on the idea that no two plans—and no two plan participants—are exactly alike. We partner with plan sponsors, advisors, and third-party administrators to ensure that every plan is personal to the participant and delivers proven results.1
As of June 30, 2024, John Hancock serviced over 57,000 retirement plans with over 3.2 million participants* and over $226 billion in AUMA.
* Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance.
As of June 30, 2024, John Hancock Life Insurance Company (USA) supported 52,252 plans, 1,559,650 participants, and $ 109,387,555,662.60 in AUMA. John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York supported 2,694 plans, 73,817 participants, and $ 6,015,253,137.22
in AUMA. John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC supported 2,280 plans, 1,590,978 participants, and $111,066,185,714.04 in AUMA. Participant Counts reflect all active participants with a balance. Approximate unaudited figures for John Hancock, provided on a U.S. statutory basis.
John Hancock and MIT Agelab are not affiliated and neither is responsible for the liabilities of the other.
John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC provides administrative and/or recordkeeping services to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans through an open-architecture platform. John Hancock Trust Company LLC, a New Hampshire non-depository trust company, provides trust and custodial services to such plans, offers an Individual Retirement Accounts product, and maintains specific Collective Investment Trusts. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in NY), and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY. Product features and availability may differ by state. All entities do business under certain instances using the John Hancock brand name. Each entity makes available a platform of investment alternatives to sponsors or administrators of retirement plans without regard to the individualized needs of any plan. Unless otherwise specifically stated in writing, each entity does not, and is not undertaking to, provide impartial investment advice or give advice in a fiduciary capacity. Securities are offered through John Hancock Distributors LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.
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