Hurry Up, Do Something!

The American investor feels the need to react in world where everything seems to be in flux.  This according to a new survey conducted by Edward Jones and Opinion Research Corporation.  1010 investors were polled and 90% of them plan to make some kind of change to their investing or savings plan in the next 6 months.

Some other key findings that give you an insight into the psyche of the investor class right now:

The U.S. presidential election and healthcare costs were the two issues most likely to affect savings and investing decisions, with 39 percent and 30 percent of Americans pointing to them, respectively. Another 21 percent of respondents cited ongoing European and global economic issues.

The Issues:

• For Americans between 35 and 44 years old, and those 65 and over, the U.S. presidential election will have the greatest impact on the changes they make to their investment strategies, with 46 percent and 45 percent of those groups indicating so, respectively.

Age:

• Respondents between 18 and 34, however, were less concerned with the U.S. election and instead pointed to healthcare costs as the factor most important for their investment decisions (35 percent).

Gender:

• Men (40 percent) and women (38 percent) were almost equally likely to point to the U.S. presidential election as having the greatest impact on their investment strategies in the next six months.
• Women were much more likely to identify healthcare costs as the issue that will affect their decisions (36 percent), while less than one-quarter (24 percent) percent of men chose the option.
• While ongoing European and global economic issues were ranked as the third biggest issue altering investment decisions overall, men and women were divided on their sentiment. Men were much more likely to see it as a significant factor (27 percent) than their female counterparts (15 percent).

Geography:

• Those living in the western part of the country were much more likely to point to concerns over European and global economic issues than the general population (30 percent vs. 21 percent) and Midwesterners were the least likely (16 percent).

Income:

• The most affluent respondents (those making $100,000 or more a year) are the most likely to change their savings or investment strategies in the next six months (96 percent).
• Among respondents living in households with incomes between $35,000 and $50,000, healthcare costs ranked as the top factor impacting investment decisions.

Very interesting stuff, seems everyone is thinking “hurry up, do something!”

Source:

Edward Jones