An exclusive survey by Friends Provident International (FPI) in the UAE has highlighted the need for financial preparation and professional advice if the majority of the 1,000-plus respondents expect to achieve their goal of early retirement.
While almost half – 44 percent – of respondents expect to retire by the age of 55, and nearly two-thirds – 63 percent – expect to retire before they reach 60, approximate 45 percent haven’t even started saving for retirement yet. A further 11 percent declined to comment.
Furthermore, for those individuals who do have some savings, more than half of them (53 percent) say that these are in the form of general bank deposits.
There is also an expectation among many respondents that they don’t need to plan very far ahead.
For example. Nearly 40 percent say they will start saving for their retirement either 10 years or less before they reach retirement.
Meanwhile, their expectations of how much income they think is needed to retire on is also questionable.
More than a quarter – 27 percent – think they can retire on less than $2,500 a month, while a similar percentage of people believe that $5,000 will be enough. Another 15 percent acknowledge that they don’t know or are unsure of the amount required to retire.
The head of Sales (Middle East) at FPI, Stuart Shilcock (below), said: “There appears to be a strong disconnect between the aspirations of many individuals in this survey in the UAE to retire early and the reality of how much they will need to save for retirement.”
Even more noteworthy is the fact that so many individuals have not started to save yet, or they intend to leave it very late.
“It is essential for everyone to prepare early when thinking about retirement,” Shilcock explained, adding that there is compelling evidence to show that anyone who wants to retire early needs to save more – and earlier – in their career.
It is promising, however, that younger people in the survey have a more realistic expectation about retirement.
This can be seen by the fact that more respondents in the 18- to 24-year-old age group than any other age group say that they will start saving either between 15 and 20 years before they reach retirement, or between 20 and 25 years.
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