Retirement Planning In a Post-Crisis Economy, January 2012: “Prolonged economic uncertainty and high unemployment have taken a heavy toll on U.S. workers. Few have escaped hits to their retirement savings or to their confidence in being able to retire comfortably. Unsurprisingly, many Americans have become more financially conservative, cutting back on spending and paying more attention to household finances and retirement planning and saving. As the economic recovery proceeds — albeit in fits and starts — economic satisfaction levels and optimism about retirement are slowly rising as well. Nevertheless, fallout from the crisis lingers in the psyche of American workers, as many remain apprehensive about their economic future generally and about retirement in particular. This article is the first in a three-part series based on the 2011 Towers Watson Retirement Attitudes Survey highlighting American workers’ attitudes toward their household finances and retirement readiness. The second article will examine how the financial crisis has changed the trade-offs employees are willing to make to reduce their retirement and health care risks. The last article will look at the impact of retirement programs on attracting and retaining employees.”