What Americans know; what they owe

Almost 60 percent of Americans are confident they will be able to maintain their current lifestyles into retirement, though more than half report large amounts of consumer debt, according to a survey by Milwaukee, Wis.-based Strong Investments.

Nearly 3 in 4 said they had considered the impact of inflation and taxes on their savings, but 29 percent said they had taken more risk in their investments than they wanted to take. And only 37 percent had contemplated nursing-care expenses.

Those polled had different ideas about what they needed to retire comfortably: 6 percent said less than $50,000; 29 percent said $500,000 or more.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor