When it comes to global retirement security, the U.S. is ranked 17th out of 150 countries, according to Natixis Global Asset Management’s 2017 Global Retirement Index Report. The index considers health, material comforts, the environment and, of course, retirement access and savings when determining rankings.
As a global superpower, this ranking is abysmal. Many issues contribute to this looming retirement crisis in America, among them a lack of education and the widening gap in income equality, as well as the U.S. having one of the most cripplingly expensive health care systems on the globe.
While U.S. partisan politics are part of the reason we have failed to move up in the rankings, we can certainly copy some other countries’ success strategies. International governments recognize the critical importance of taking care of their people from cradle to grave, not just while they are contributing to the success of their GDP.
The top five countries in the Natixis report are:
1) Norway
2) Switzerland
3) Iceland
4) Sweden
5) New Zealand
These countries are ranked highest because they see retirement as a basic human right that should be available to everyone.
Access, incentives and automatic features are proven
Politics aside, U.S. employers realize that health care and retirement savings are the top two most sought-after benefits in the workplace. New businesses are launching daily that are focused on empowering employees in what has become a self-directed savings environment. By including incentives such as an employer match and auto-enrolment, we have a chance to make a dent in progressive retirement planning and rise in the ranks as a global leader.
