J.P. Morgan Asset Management commissioned a survey to understand the savings behaviour of European households. In partnership with Opinium, we surveyed 17,000 adults aged 18 to 65 across Europe. In the Netherlands, 2,000 adults were surveyed.
Key findings
The Dutch are confident about their retirement outcome
Three-quarters of the Dutch population are confident they will be able to afford their desired standard of living in retirement.
Respondents are confident that property prices will rise further
Respondents are optimistic about house price growth over the next 20 years.
The occupational pension scheme leads to complacency
The strength of the occupational pension scheme leads to inertia. Few individuals are actively following a clear retirement savings plan.
Confidence about investing sits at odds with the decisions being made
A majority of the Dutch population say they are confident making investment decisions. Yet cash is by far the most popular choice for non-emergency savings, with its popularity well above the European average.
The lure of cash is partially fear …
Fear of loss is the main reason preventing individuals from investing more in stocks.
... and partially a lack of financial knowledge
Remarkably, individuals believe cash will deliver better long-term returns than stocks, despite all the evidence to the contrary. This points to the need for better financial education and advice.
Principles for successful long-term investing
The key to successful investing isn’t predicting the future, it’s learning from the past and understanding the present. We present seven time-tested strategies for guiding portfolios towards tomorrow’s goals.
