Confidence is high among US investors

MINNEAPOLIS — Confidence is high among U.S. investors at the moment, a new survey by Ameriprise Financial found.

Many who answered, though, have encountered financial setbacks in the past and expect to again in the future. Younger adults are more worried about losing a job, while older ones cited the prospect of a health problem’s related expense as a chief worry.

Ameriprise conducted the survey in December as part of the Minneapolis investment firm’s ongoing effort to dig more deeply into the relationship that people have with their money. It interviewed just more than 3,000 people ages 30 to 79 with at least $100,000 in investments.

Only 7 percent of the group felt “stressed” about their finances, while 78 percent said they had more than enough money to cover essential expenses.

The participants in the Ameriprise survey are better off than the average American, and the results can’t be extrapolated to draw conclusions about the financial confidence of others in the country.

The Census Bureau’s most recent survey of household wealth, completed in 2013, found about 47 percent of the nation’s 124 million households have a net worth of $100,000 or more. In 20 percent of households, someone owns stocks or mutual funds.

Marcy Keckler, vice president of financial advice strategy at Ameriprise, said the survey was one of the largest the company has done on its own in recent years. It also relies on research done by other firms and trade groups to keep on top of broader changes in consumer confidence.

In 2015 and 2016, much of the company’s research zeroed in on family dynamics and money. In the latest survey, Ameriprise attempted to discover how people at different stages of their life confronted financial challenges and whether those challenges dampened their overall confidence.

“We keep evolving the questions and areas of inquiry to understand what investors need, what’s on their minds, and to continue to enhance our understanding of how are they thinking about their money,” Keckler said.

While the company only questioned people who have put aside enough money to be able to invest at least $100,000, about one-third of those in the survey had annual household income of less than $100,000.

“Even people who aren’t what you might consider a top earner are able to have financial success,” Keckler said.