Americans who can afford to hoard cash are waiting for a vaccine to spend it

WASHINGTON » Until there’s an effective vaccine, many Americans who can afford to save money are playing it safe and hoarding their cash, according to a poll.

While tens of thousands of people are struggling to pay their rent or buy food, others have been able to squirrel away some savings and pay off debt because they’re spending less on eating out, vacations and consumer goods.

The U.S. personal savings rate hit a record 33% in April, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The rate has been going down since then, hitting 17.8% in July. Still, the data shows that many people are able to save.

Gallup and Franklin Templeton released a survey that found 54% of Americans are saving at least a little money, and until there’s a vaccine, they largely plan to keep stashing it away. The survey was conducted Aug. 3-11.

“A lot of people are just waiting on the vaccine to be developed to continue their normal spending,” Grant Buckles, a senior research consultant who worked on the survey, said in an interview. “People are making judgments, not necessarily about their personal health, but about the economy. And everyone knows that for the economy to fully reopen, we need a reliable vaccine.”

In July, to better gauge and forecast the financial impact of the pandemic, Franklin Templeton

and Gallup announced a partnership to look at the economic realities of the novel coronavirus.

Each month, researchers are interviewing thousands of U.S. adults to understand their behaviors and attitudes toward resuming pre-virus behaviors, according to Stephanie Marken, executive director of education research at Gallup.

“According to epidemiologists, the U.S. remains in its first wave of cases, and they warn that a second wave could hit in the fall of 2020, ensuring that reopening the economy will likely include many starts and stops as states grapple with public health concerns and the reality of continued disruptions to business operations,” Marken wrote in announcing the joint venture.

In this latest study, they asked: What do you plan to do with your increased savings over the next six months? Among Americans who can afford to save:

• 76% are planning to continue to add to their savings.

• 28% will do some spending, purchasing basic goods and services.

• 13% plan on paying for a vacation or personal travel.

• 10% have targeted the savings to pay off debts.

One interesting finding was what people were doing with their extra funds.

Most — 79% — are squirreling the money away in their checking or savings accounts.

Only 24% have increased their contributions to retirement accounts, 17% have invested in the stock or bond markets, 5% have put it into real estate and just 3% have invested in other assets, such as cryptocurrency.

Rather than taking risks, people are keeping their money liquid, Buckles said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “For the time being, I think people want to make sure that they have money for necessities. I think those who are able to save will continue to keep those assets available. We will see more people dipping into those savings if the economy continues to tread water and we don’t see much improvement in the unemployment rate.”

If you have a personal finance or retirement question, send it to colorofmoney@washpost.com. In the subject line, put “Question of the Week.”

This week’s answers come from Erin Voisin, director of financial planning at Californiabased EP Wealth Advisors.

Q: I withdrew a portion of my 2020 required minimum distribution (RMD) in the form of a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). Accordingly, my IRA custodian wrote checks to various charities from my IRA. Subsequently, the Cares Act waived the RMD for 2020. I refunded my IRA from my personal checking account. The net effect is that the charities received my donations from my personal account. Does that mean I can now take an itemized charitable contribution deduction for these amounts?

Voisin: Yes, because you will not be listing the QCD on your tax return. I would itemize these.

Q: I have multiple IRAs and will have to take RMDs at 72. The total percentage will be 10%. Will I have to withdraw money from all the accounts?

Voisin: You can choose to take that 10% out of one single IRA if you want. The total RMD is calculated based on the total of the assets, and then from there, you have flexibility on which accounts you draw it from. You would want to consult with your financial adviser to ensure that you are taking the right amount from the right accounts.

Additionally, the IRS says, “A 403(b) contract owner must calculate the RMD separately for each 403(b) contract that he or she owns, but can take the total amount from one or more of the 403(b) contracts. ... RMDs required from other types of retirement plans, such as 401(k) and 457(b) plans have to be taken separately from each of those plan accounts.”

Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1301 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071, or email michelle.singletary@ washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter (@SingletaryM) or Facebook (www.facebook. com/MichelleSingletary). Please also note comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer’s name, unless a specific request to do otherwise is indicated.