Key Takeaways
- An Employee Benefit Research Institute survey found that more than two-thirds of retirees had outstanding credit card debt in 2024, up from 40% in 2022.
- Even though inflation has cooled, high prices weigh on retirees. Almost a third of retirees said they spent more than they could afford in 2024.
- Most retirees said they retired earlier than they planned, and half said they didn't have enough saved when they ultimately did retire.
Retirees are strugg♌ling with credit card debt as they deal wiꦚth high prices.
A recent Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) survey of over 3,600 retirees found that more than two-thirds had outstanding credit card debt in 2024. That's up from 40% in 2022.
Although inflation has fallen from its peak two years ago, prices remain elevated, and inflation is still above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. This year, almost one-third (31%) of retirees reported spending more than they could afford. By contrast, in 2022 only 17% of retirees said they were spending more than they could afford.
People Are Retiring Earlie൲r Than Anticipated—ꦜWhich Could Be Hurting Their Finances
In the survey, almost 60% of retirees said they retired earlier than expected. The most common reasons were a health problem or disability (38%) or their employer undergoing a change such as downsizing (23%). When respondents did retire, nearly half said they hadn't saved enough for retirement.
Meanwhile, many retirees didn't have access to or fully benefit from workplace plans like a 401(k) or investment accounts like 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:individual retirement acc🎶ounts (IRAs) and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Roth IRAs. Responses to the EBRI survey indicated that few were relying on such savings 🐻to fund their retirements: Only 17% of retirees used 401(k) plans as a retirement income source while 20% used funds from their IRAs.
Many respondents said they relied on Social Security (80%) or a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:guaranteed income source (39%), like a pension or annuity.