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COUNTRY Financial Security Index records second consecutive rise
The COUNTRY Financial Security Index continued it's upward swing in October, rising 1.3 points to 69.9, as Americans felt more confident in nearly all aspects of their financial security. The latest boost took the Index to its second highest reading of the year, just short of the 70.2 recorded in February.
The COUNTRY Index records the perceived financial security of respondents on a scale of 0-100 with 100 indicating the highest level of security. It is based upon responses to a series of baseline survey questions asked in a national survey of at least 3,000 randomly selected American adults every other month.
"Americans aren't letting recent news about a credit crunch, changing interest rates and predictions of a recession drive how they feel about their own financial security," says Keith Brannan, director of the financial security office at COUNTRY. "Instead, the news may be prompting people to pay closer attention to their family's financial situation. Some may have discovered they're in good financial shape, while others may have been spurred to save more for the future."

  Americans Upbeat about Finances in October
  -- Fifty-one percent of Americans rated their personal level of financial
     security favorably, up three points from August.  Further, 17 percent
     rated their financial security as excellent, marking the most Americans
     to feel this way since the COUNTRY Index began this year.
  -- The number of people able to set aside money for savings or investments
     increased two points to 55 percent.
  -- Debt concerns continued to subside in October, as the number confident
     in their ability to pay all their debts as they come due rose another
     two points to 81 percent.

  Retirement and College Funding Prospects Spike
  -- Those confident in their ability to send their children to college
     (70 percent) and to have enough money to enjoy a comfortable retirement
     (65 percent) both rose two points in October to the highest they have
     been since the COUNTRY Index launched early this year.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index
The COUNTRY Financial Security Index is a bi-monthly measure of Americans' sentiments toward their overall financial security. It is an aggregate of various factors comprising financial security including savings and investments, financial planning, retirement, education and asset protection.
The COUNTRY Index was created by COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services and is compiled by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research firm, based on a national telephone survey of at least 3,000 Americans.
About COUNTRY
COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States. It offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home and life insurance to retirement planning services, investment management and annuities.
For more information: http://www.countryfinancial.com/