Most Americans Say They Are on Track to Realize Their Financial Goals

Americans are confident they are collectively on track to achieve their long-term financial goals, according to the latest Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investor Pulse Poll.

The poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. households of high net worth individuals, a third of which had investible assets of $1 million or more. Ninety-one percent of those polled believe they are on the right path to achieve long-term financial goals, the top three being:

1. Saving for retirement
2. Transitioning wealth to the next generation
3. Paying off a mortgage.

While nearly every high net worth investor is somewhat, if not very, happy with their financial situation today, they, too, have financial concerns like the rest of us.

What keeps them up at night?

Maintaining wealth throughout their lifetimes with the same standard of living, having available money for retirement and unexpected medical costs were some of high net worth investors’ top concerns. Nearly 90 percent of middle-aged or older investors wish they would have started saving for their goals sooner – with about half pointing to retirement in particular.

THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY + INVESTMENT CLIMATE

The survey also gauged investors’ sentiments toward the broader economy, following strong economic growth in the U.S. and globally (prior to the most recent dip.) With market highs and milestones, investors are watching closely to see if the steady growth will slow. Based on Morgan Stanley’s projections, we expect 2018 could be another good year for our economy, though investor sentiment is split.

The Investor Pulse Poll shows investors are almost evenly divided between those who believe it will be a good time to invest and those who are neutral, with only a minority predicting this year will be bad for investments.

Erring on the side of caution, Morgan Stanley is advising investors to consider classic performers such as energy, industrials and tech. These sectors have been working well lately thanks, in part, to the return of capital spending and higher oil prices.

Stocks or equities are expected to comprise the biggest part of high net worth investors’ portfolios in 2018, especially in the tech industry. Technology is seen as the leading investment sector of 2018, followed by bio-tech and energy.

Investors continue to rely on and leverage these insights from financial professionals to build out their ideal portfolios.