Saving for Retirement High on Americans' New Year's Resolutions Lists

PHILADELPHIA, PA, December 21, 2005 -- Financial resolutions will figure highly on the lists that many Americans put together at New Year's, according to a recent survey conducted by Delaware Investments. Many said that their primary financial goal is to save for retirement - and yet, only a small percentage said they planned to add to or open tax-deferred accounts created for that purpose.

"We were pleased to learn that so many Americans are focusing on critical issues, such as saving for retirement, in their resolutions for 2006. This shows that Americans are paying attention to the growing worry among experts that individuals are not adequately prepared for the reality of funding their retirements," said Executive Vice President, Chief of Sales, Client Services and Marketing Kevin J. Lucey. "However, we were concerned to find out that many of them are not planning to take advantage of all of the options available to them. Most experts agree that taking full advantage of 401k/403(b) programs and IRAs is the best first step toward preparing for retirement."

The survey of financial New Year's resolutions revealed:

• The # 1 resolution was saving more money (80%)
• The # 2 resolution was paying off credit card debt (56%)
• The # 3 resolution was paying off other debt, including mortgages and home equity loans, college loans and car loans (32%)

Of those who said they planned to save more money, nearly half (49%) said they needed to prepare for retirement, but:

• Only 13% listed increasing their contribution to their 401k/403(b) as a goal for 2006
• Even fewer (less than 10%) chose opening or increasing contributions to an IRA

Other findings include:

• 29% said they wanted to spend more time assessing their financial position
• 27% said that they planned to make a will in 2006
• 18% said they planned to spend time teaching their children to manage money

The nationwide survey of more than 9,000 adults aged 18 and older was conducted in late November 2005 by Synovate, a global market research company. Contact your tax advisor for specific questions related to your retirement planning.

About Delaware Investments

Delaware Investments, an affiliate of Lincoln Financial Group, is a Philadelphia-based diversified asset management firm with more than $110 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2005. Through a broad range of managed accounts and portfolios, mutual funds, retirement plan services, subadvised funds, college savings plans and other investment products, Delaware Investments provides investment services to individual investors and to institutional investors such as private and public pension funds, foundations, and endowment funds.

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