Americans save a paltry 5% of their income on average. but most customers of financial planners manage to sock away considerably more.
That's the key finding of a survey by the College for Financial Planning, a Denver-based organization that sets professional standards for planners.
The organization polled 1,800 financial planners about their clients' finances, drawing responses from 23%.
The survey found 44% of financial-planning clients save 6% to 10% of their income. Another 30% save more than 10% of their income. As a rule of thumb, financial planners urge customers to save at least 10%.
The survey also found that:
Most financial planning clients are 45 to 64 years old.
Nine out of 10 make more than $46,000 per year.
The typical client had a net worth of $400,000.
Most clients--68%--said saving for retirement is their top priority. Other frequently mentioned goals: reducing tax burden (54%), providing for asset growth (54%), and covering health care costs (37%).
