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So how are we all feeling two years after the global economic collapse? Not so great, according to a poll of 1,002 Americans conducted for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards by Penn, Schoen Berland.
Here are some of the highlights of the opinion survey:
- Nearly two out of three Americans (65 percent) are more concerned about their finances today than they were at the beginning of the financial crisis two years ago.
- A bit more than a third of Americans (37 percent) expect to see their personal finances improve in the next six months, versus less than half (46 percent) who expect to hold onto what they currently have and 16 percent who expect to lose money.
- Eighty percent of Americans say that Congress and regulators have not done enough "to deal with the financial market problems and their impact on American investors."
- A bright spot in the findings: 44 percent of Americans expect the U.S. economy to improve in the next six months, while only 28 percent expect things to get worse. A smaller group (22 percent) anticipates no change in the economy.
The somewhat gloomy outlook is also reflected in the latest Bank of America Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey. The panel survey of investors indicated a reduced appetite for risk by moving more of their portfolios into cash and pharmaceutical stocks, traditionally a bearish equity position.
And finally, take another look at Bankrate.com's 2009 poll that asks: "Do you think it's easier or harder to get rich today than it used to be?" Tell us: How are you feeling since the recession? Are you more cautious, or do you feel optimistic?
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