Trying to get a handle on the way that regular Americans see their financial future seems to lie in the eye of the beholder – but according to Principal's Financial Well-Being Index, things are looking brighter, even for their retirement.

This year's survey demonstrates a significant improvement over sentiments gathered last year, though the metrics are still telling: 27 percent of workers say they have an optimistic outlook for the economy and their own fianancial lives, up from a depressing 12 percent in third quarter 2011.

Even the elusive goal of achieving the American dream has been restored, somewhat, with 43 percent of workers saying they have some level of confidence in their ability to achieve those financial goals, a figure significantly higher than just a few months ago.

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.