Halloween may come and go, but many consumers haunted by real-life financial fears suffer more tricks than treats, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
In fact, NFCC's new Financial Literacy Survey revealed that as many as 71% of respondents admitted to having financial worries.
Sharing the top spot on the list were concerns about a lack of savings, equally divided between not having enough savings for everyday emergencies (16%), and not having enough money for retirement (16%).
Other top worries included financial fears related to either losing a job or not being able to find a well-paying job (13%); worries associated with existing debt (7%); and concerns over credit card debt, student loan debt, a monthly vehicle payment or existing medical debt, according to the NFCC survey.
In addition, 4% of respondents worried about not being able to afford health insurance, and another 4% had concerns about their credit score and access to credit.
Rounding out the list were consumer fears about out-of-control personal financial situations, not being able to afford to send children to college, not having a good overall understanding of personal finance, losing a home to foreclosure and potentially having to file bankruptcy.
"Admitting financial fears is the first step toward resolving them," Gail Cunningham, NFCC spokesperson, said. "The next step is taking action to resolve the problem."
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