Whilst these reports are useful, I think understanding a clearer breakdown of the statistics and demographics would be more interesting and thought provoking.
I suspect, women who run the household finances save more than those who don’t.
Women with children possibly save more than those without because they have to budget more accurately – though with that said, their outgoing costs would be higher. And so on.
You can read more about the findings here. Overall the report, for me, seems to raise more questions than it does in providing answers. We talk about recession little these days – as if it’s been going on for so many years now that the subject matter is a part of every day life.
But are things getting better, or are we, as previously tagged spendaholics, becoming more frugal about the distinction between what we need and what we want?
HSBC comment that 29% of participants in their survey confirm they didn’t save anything last year – but that means 71% did – a huge achievement in the current climate.
Saving for a rainy day?
In the years I have worked in this industry – the majority of articles released have offered words of encouragement to people in debt – pushing them to strive for survival, rather than saving for the future. So it seems somewhat impressive, that 71% of those surveyed have now not just survived but afforded to put funds away for a rainy day which is more or less guaranteed to arrive at their door some time in the future.
So, if HSBC analysts are reading this blog, we’d welcome more light on this report – and a lesson which can probably be learnt from so many of us about how the 71% of successful savers have made their positive dent in their income and expenditure.