Study Finds Men Significantly More Likely to Seek Out Financial Advice Than Women

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To coincide with Financial Literacy Month, COUNTRY Financial has released a new study that looks at what Americans seek financial guidance around the most. The findings from the COUNTRY Financial Security Index reveal notable differences between the way men and women seek out financial help, with men far more likely to seek out financial advice from others than women.

Interestingly, when asked whether respondents had ever sought financial advice around common topics like retirement planning or taxes, male respondents had consistently done so more than women on every topic. In addition, the study showed that nearly a quarter of women (24 percent) revealed they had never sought financial advice, compared to only 15 percent of men reporting the same.

Topic	Total Americans	Men	Women
Have sought financial advice on any topic	80.5%	84.8%	76.4%
Retirement planning	41.0%	45.2%	37.0%
Tax related matters	37.9%	42.1%	33.9%
Insurance	32.9%	39.0%	26.9%
Savings	29.6%	31.6%	27.8%
Non-retirement investments	27.0%	30.1%	24.1%
Large personal purchases	26.2%	27.0%	25.4%
Home purchase planning	21.6%	23.6%	19.6%
Estate planning	19.0%	25.4%	12.9%
Debt management	18.0%	20.4%	15.8%
College/ university planning	16.1%	16.3%	15.9%
Charitable giving	8.3%	8.7%	7.8%
Have never sought financial advice	19.5%	15.2%	23.6%

When it comes to finances, a diversity of counsel can have a positive impact in guiding well-informed decisions. This is especially true as many Americans report they are not as responsible in their spending choices as they feel they should be.

In fact, a slight majority of Americans (51 percent) feel they are not managing their own investments or savings as well as they should. Further demonstrating this habit, 39 percent of Americans (43 percent of men and 35 percent of women) also report higher comfort levels in passing along financial advice than acting on it themselves.

"Financial Literacy Month is the ideal time of year for Americans to take an inventory of personal money management habits, determine financial priorities and opportunities, and create a circle of trusted advisors to advise the best path forward when it comes to managing finances," said Troy Frerichs, director of wealth management at COUNTRY Financial.

Take an Inventory of Personal Money Management Habits: Get started on the road to financial security by assessing money coming in as it relates to current spending and saving patterns. Work toward answering whether you are among the 44 percent of Americans that report they are not as responsible with their spending choices as they should be or the 51 percent that report they are not managing their investments or savings as well as they should.

Determine Financial Priorities and Opportunities: Leverage what is learned from the personal inventory of finances to identify short- and long-term goals. For instance, Americans report they are currently most concerned about affording unexpected expenses (44 percent), affording healthcare costs (41 percent) and being able to take desired vacations (36 percent). Once priorities are determined, investigate solutions and opportunities for saving or investing to help reach your goals.

Create a Circle of Trusted Advisors: In one's journey to a more secure financial future, it also helps to have a network of trusted advisors that can be counted on for advice. This can range from family, friends, co-workers, employers, financial advisors and beyond. Today, half of Americans (50 percent) report consulting a family member (i.e., mother, father, spouse, sibling or child) for financial advice, while 40 percent reported going to a financial advisor. Meanwhile, seeking financial advice from friends (16 percent), employers (11 percent) and coworkers (6 percent) is less common, but can also be valuable if you consider them trustworthy, resourceful and knowledgeable as it relates to your financial future.

About The COUNTRY Financial Security Index^®
Since 2007, the COUNTRY Financial Security Index has measured Americans' sentiments of their personal financial security. The Index also delves deeper into individual personal finance topics to better inform Americans about the issues impacting their finances. Survey data, videos and analysis are available at www.countryfinancial.com/newsroom and on Twitter at @helloCOUNTRY.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index was created by COUNTRY Financial. This survey was conducted by EMC Research, Inc., an independent research firm, commissioned by COUNTRY Financial. Surveys were conducted using a national online research panel designed to be representative of the general population and includes responses from 1,000 U.S. adults over the age of 18 for national surveys with additional interviews completed in Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Oregon to bring the total in each of those states to 500 completed surveys.

About COUNTRY Financial^®
The COUNTRY Financial^® group (www.countryfinancial.com) serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States. It offers a wide range of financial products and services from auto, home, business and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.

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SOURCE COUNTRY Financial