Global Saving and Investing

ARE WE
F I N A N C I A L LY
P R E PA R E D F O R
THE FUTURE?
SAVING AND INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES AROUND THE WORLD
JANUARY 2014
GAP BETWEEN
FINANCIAL REALIT Y
AND EXPECTATIONS
MORE RESPONDENTS ARE PLANNING TO ACTIVATE SAVINGS
PLANS IN THE FUTURE THAN ARE ACTIVELY SAVING/
INVESTING NOW
FUTURE INVESTMENT APPETITE IS STRONGER IN DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES
GLOBALLY, MORE THAN HALF ARE CONFIDENT THEY WILL

ACHIEVE THEIR FINANCIAL GOALS
ACTIVE SAVING FOR HEALTH ISSUES, HOUSEHOLD

EMERGENCIES AND RETIREMENT ARE TOP PRIORITIES
GLOBALLY, MORE RESPONDENTS SAY THAT SAVING FOR THEIR

CHILDRENS FUTURE IS THE PRIMARY GOAL ALLOCATED WITH
THE HIGHEST MONTHLY INVESTMENT CONTRIBUTION
Money can be tight no matter where we live. After paying essential living
expenses, there is often too little money left for spending or saving on
discretionary items. In fact, Nielsen reports that around the world we
allot just 10 percent of our monthly income for saving and investment
purposes on average. Is that enough? How prepared are we for an
unexpected household emergency, health issue or job loss? Will we be
financially secure when we retire? Can we afford to pay higher education
costs? Are we saving enough for our childrens future?
GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT
To help answer these questions, Nielsen conducted a global study to

understand current and future financial goals and the strategies we
use to prepare for them. The findings revealed that more respondents
around the world are focused on future saving or investing intentions
than on active or current plans. While current and future saving and
investment sentiment was relatively strong, there was a sizeable gap
between the two, as well as among those who said they had no plans
to save now or in the future. Closing the gap between desire and action
depends on a variety of reasons, least of which is earning enough money
to stash cash. Either way, both scenarios have economic consequences
to consider.
Preparing for ones financial future has implications that go beyond
personal needs, said Oliver Rust, senior vice president, Global Financial
Services, Nielsen. Particularly in mature economies, there are growing
concerns about reliance on governments to support expenses such
as retirement, health care and education as growing numbers of the
population enters retirement age. Understanding consumer sentiment
on the saving strategies used to fund financial goals now and in the
future provides insight to help close the gap between reality and
expectations.
The Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies polled
more than 30,000 Internet respondents in 60 countries to evaluate
how consumers around the world were preparing for current and future
financial expenses. We evaluated 16 different saving and investment
strategies used to fund 14 financial goals that range from unexpected
life events and shorter-term goals, such as unexpected household
emergencies and buying a house, to longer-term objectives, such as
saving for retirement and for their childrens future.
ABOUT THE GLOBAL SURVEY

METHODOLOGY
The findings in this survey are based on respondents with online
access across 60 countries. While an online survey methodology
allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a
perspective only on the habits of existing Internet users, not total
populations. In developing markets where online penetration has
not reached majority potential, audiences may be younger and more
affluent than the general population of that country. Additionally,
survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual
metered data.
Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company
FUTURE
INVESTMENT PL ANS
ARE STRONGER
THAN CURRENT
INTENTIONS
Theres always tomorrow was the sentiment that applied to the greatest
percentage of respondents around the world who plan to save or invest
to meet financial goals in the future, compared with those who were
actively saving or investing now. Across all 14 goals reviewed, intentions
to save in the future were stronger than active intentions for all but one
financial goalhealth issues, whereby global active savers outnumbered
future savers by just one percentage point (42% active savers vs. 41%
future savers). For those who were actively saving now, particular life
events, such as health issues or unexpected household emergencies
were priorities among more respondents at the global level (42% and
41%, respectively) versus saving for a longer-term financial goal, such as
retirement (35%).
Overall, plans to save in the future were strongest among respondents
in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East/Africa regions,
especially for intentions to fund their childrens futures, higher
education, first- and second-time property purchases, personal luxuries,
financial legacy, and new businesses. In North America and Europe,
future saving intentions were comparatively lower for funding higher
education, starting a business and preparing for certain live events, such
as marriage or having a baby.
The greater number of respondents planning to save in the future
versus saving now suggests an opportunity to better educate consumers
on saving and investment strategies that will help them meet their
financial goals, said Rust. It also shines a light on the growing wealth
accumulation among consumers in the more developing regions of
the world and their aspirations for upward mobility with a more secure
financial future.
NOW VS. L ATER SAVING/INVESTING INTENTIONS

GLOBAL AVERAGE - PERCENT ACTIVE VS. FUTURE SAVING/INVESTING INTENTIONS
I ACTIVELY SAVE NOW
I PLAN TO SAVE IN THE FUTURE
LIFE EVENTS
SHORTER-TERM GOALS
42%
41%
29%
HEALTH ISSUES
41%
44%
28%
36%
UNEXPECTED HOUSEHOLD
EMERGENCIES
31%
FIRST-TIME
HOME PURCHASE
23%
43%
LOSS OF JOB INCOME
19%
41%
UPGRADED PROPERTY
PURCHASE
23%
31%
MARRIAGE
45%
PERSONAL LUXURY
PURCHASE
OPEN
23%
HAVING A BABY
35%
44%
RETIREMENT
34%
42%
CHILDRENS FUTURE
28%
33%
HIGHER EDUCATION
19%
44%
FINANCIAL LEGACY
37%
START-UP BUSINESS
36%
LONGER-TERM GOALS
18%
38%
SECOND HOME PURCHASE
Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q3 2013
HIGH CONFIDENCE
IN ACHIEVING
FINANCIAL GOALS
The glass was half full for nearly seven out of 10 global respondents
(69%) who believed they would achieve all of their financial goals for
the future. Yet, of those, only 28 percent felt that their current financial
planning would get them there. Most of the group (41%) was less selfassured, conceding that in order to best meet financial expectations,
they would need to closely monitor and adjust investments from time to
time. Nearly one-third of global respondents (31%) had no confidence
they would meet their financial goals with either current or modified
asset allocations.
Overall, financial confidence was highest in Asia-Pacific, where more
than two-thirds (78%) of respondents said their planning was sound
and on track for the future (32% were satisfied with their current plan
and 46% would make adjustments). Financial planning was also in good
standing among two-thirds of respondents in Middle East/Africa (67%),
North America (66%) and Latin America (62%), with about one-fourth in
each region saying they were satisfied with their existing strategies.
Planning sentiment for the financial future was less secure among
European respondents, where almost half (46%) were not confident they
would achieve their goals. Among the 55 percent that were confident,
21 percent believed they would achieve their objectives with current
planning, and 34 percent said they would make changes to stay on
course.
Meeting financial goals takes a monetary commitment, and perhaps
Asia-Pacific and Middle East/Africa online respondents were especially
confident about the future because of the volume of income dedicated
as well as the increased income contributions they made toward
investments over the past 12 months. Half of respondents in both
regions (Asia-Pacific 54% and Middle East/Africa 50%) increased
the percentage of take-home pay dedicated toward reaching financial
goals, compared with Latin Americans (36%), North Americans (29%)
and Europeans (27%). Nearly one-fifth of Middle East/Africa online
respondents (18%) increased contributions significantlymore than 25
percent, which was comparatively higher than the global average of 10
percent. More than half of North Americans (55%) were satisfied with
the status quo, maintaining income contributions from the previous
year, compared to the global average of 40 percent.
FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE WAS HIGHEST IN ASIA-PACIFIC

I AM CONFIDENT I WILL
ACHIEVE MY FINANCIAL GOALS
I INCREASED THE PERCENT OF INCOME

TOWARD GOALS OVER PAST 12 MONTHS
Asia-Pacific
Middle East/Africa
Latin America
North America
Europe
78%
ASIA-PACIFIC
54%
ASIA-PACIFIC
67%
50%
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
36%
66%
LATIN AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
62%
55%
EUROPE
29%
NORTH AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA
27%
EUROPE

GOOD HEALTH
EQUALS GOOD
LIFE
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR HEALTH
ISSUES
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. China, which is on pace to
produce 37.5 million metric tons of apples* in 2013, is covering its bases
as the country with the highest percent of active savers for healthrelated issues (63%). In fact, in the Asia-Pacific region, 55 percent
of respondents were actively saving for health concerns, which was
comparatively higher than the global average of 42 percent. Saving now
for health issues was also a priority among the more-developing regions,
encompassing 41 percent of respondents in the Middle East/Africa
and 38 percent in Latin America, while North Americans (33%) and
Europeans (24%) were less likely to save now for health-related issues.
Asia-Pacific respondents also reported one of the most diversified
strategies of saving for health issues, using a mix of local bank accounts
(55%), whole life insurance (39%), pure-term life insurance (28%) and
saving plans (24%). The highest rate of diversification, however, was
reported in the Middle East/Africa region, where focus was put less
on local bank accounts and more on a greater number of investment
products to achieve their goal. In this region, eight investment products
prompted response rates from at least 20 percent of respondents, which
included: local bank accounts (39%), whole life insurance, governmentinitiated products (both at 25%), pure-term life insurance (22%),
company pension (22%), private pension (22%) and investment-linked
insurance (21%).
* Source: 2012 Apple Association Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference
Latin American respondents largely utilized local bank accounts (43%)

to save for health-related issues, but also found value in whole life
insurance (26%), pure-term life insurance (22%) and governmentinitiated retirement products (20%). Conversely, Europeans and North
Americans were the least diversified when it came to saving strategies
used to fund health issues. Half of Europeans (50%) and North
Americans (52%) utilized local bank accounts and one-fifth in each
region relied on whole life insurance.
Time was of the essence when it came to considering the amount of
time needed to fund health-related issues among more than half of Latin
American (55%) and Middle Eastern/African (54%) online respondents
who said they were less than one year away from achieving this goal. A
longer time span was necessary for half of respondents in Asia-Pacific
(50%), North America (50%) and Europe (46%), who were three or
more years away from feeling secure that they have saved enough to
achieve this goal.
Funding for health care is a significant issue among consumers in
many developing countries where assistance from health plans or
government sources are not heavily relied upon or available, said Rust.
These consumers are taking their health seriously and arent hesitating
to take the necessary means to reach the next level of financial security.
Theyre actively investing at a higher rate, diversifying their investments
to create more predictable outcomes, and focusing on achieving them
sooner rather than later.
SCORECARD
HEALTH ISSUES
NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS
I Actively Save/Invest Now

I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future
I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future
ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
55%
38%
7%
24%
41%
35%
41%
46%
13%
38%
48%
14%
33%
46%
21%
37%
30%
22%
10%
54%
27%
13%
5%
55%
24%
15%
7%
31%
33%
26%
11%
TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS

Less than 1 year
35%
1 year to less than 5 years
31%
5 years to less than 20 years
24%
20 years or more
11%
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS
ASIA-PACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
55% Local bank
50% Local
39% Local bank
accounts
bank accounts
accounts
39% Whole life
22% Whole
insurance
life insurance
28% Pure-term
life insurance
24% Savings
plans
25% Whole life

insurance and
Government-initiated
retirement products
22% Pure-term life
insurance, Savings
plans, Private pension
and Company pension
21% Investment-linked
insurance
L ATIN AMERICA
43% Local bank accounts
26% Whole life insurance
NORTH
AMERICA
52% Local bank

accounts
20% Whole life

insurance
22% Pure-term life

insurance
20% Government-initiated
retirement products
21% Company
pension and
Investment-linked
insurance
Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100%
10
EXPECTING THE
UNEXPECTED
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR UNEXPECTED
HOUSEHOLD EMERGENCIES
As the single financial goal with the highest percentage of active savers
in North America, Latin America and Europe, and the second-highest
percentage in Asia-Pacific and Middle East/Africa, it seemed that saving
for unexpected household emergencies was anything but unexpected.
Nearly half of Asia-Pacific respondents (47%) were actively investing to
fund this financial goal, followed by Middle East/Africa (40%), North
America (39%), Latin America (38%) and Europe (32%).
Whether dollars, euros or yen, its always helpful to have cash on hand
when emergencies pop up. The common thread across all regions was
the use of local currency as the primary investment strategy to fund
this goal: Europe (65%), North America (61%), Asia-Pacific (56%),
Latin America (49%) and Middle East/Africa (47%). Aside from cash,
other methods to save varied. Asia-Pacific respondents were more
likely to utilize whole life insurance (27%), and saving plans (24%),
and pure-term life insurance (20%). Latin Americans relied on whole
life insurance (27%), pure-term life insurance (20%) and governmentinitiated products (20%) most commonly. One-fifth of Europeans and
North Americans counted on saving plans.
Much like the time span necessary to achieve funding for health-related
issues, online respondents in the Middle East/Africa and Latin America
had shorter-term success in mind when meeting goals for household
emergencies. Forty-percent of respondents in Latin America and 37
percent in the Middle East/Africa believed they were less than six
months away from saving enough, while roughly the same percentages
in Europe (45%), Asia-Pacific (41%), and North America (37%) needed
between six months and three years to reach this saving goal.
11
SCORECARD
UNEXPECTED HOUSEHOLD EMERGENCIES
ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
47%
32%
40%
38%
39%
44%
41%
47%
51%
47%
9%
27%
13%
11%
14%

Less than 1 year
33%
46%
57%
61%
45%
39%
36%
29%
27%
33%
20%
13%
10%
10%
16%
7%
5%
4%
3%
6%
20 years or more
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

ASIA-PACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA
L ATIN AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
56% Local bank

accounts
65% Local bank

accounts
61% Local bank

accounts
27% Whole life

insurance
20% Saving
plans
28% Governmentinitiated retirement

products
22% Saving plans
24% Savings
plans
24% Private pension
21% Investment-linked
insurance
20% Pure-term
life insurance

and Saving plans
20% Pure-term
life insurance and
Government-initiated
retirement products
22% Unit trust

12
MAKING THE
GOLDEN YEARS
MORE GOLDEN
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR RETIREMENT
How golden our golden years will be depends largely on how well we
invest for our retirement. North American and Asia-Pacific respondents
were the most actively engaged savers, with 39 percent of respondents
in both regions currently saving to fund this goal. North Americas
strong focus on saving for retirement was also evidenced by the 30
percent of respondents who said that this was the one financial goal
that received the highest monthly contributionmore than double the
global average of 12 percent that said the same. Less than one-third of
respondents in Latin America (32%), Middle East/Africa (30%), and onefourth in Europe (26%) were presently saving for retirement. In Europe,
40 percent of respondents indicated that they had no intention to save
for retirement at all, compared to the global average of 22 percent.
The difference in public and private retirement benefit programs gives
context to retirement saving sentiment reported by consumers around
the world, said Rust. When Americans retire, public-issued retirement
benefits are typically much less than the amount they earned while they
were employed; by comparison, Europeans rely on a greater share of
their income. But that is changing in some European markets where
mandatory employer pension plans are put in place in order to replace
government plans in the longer term. Now more than ever, a greater
reliance on private savings is needed to compensate.
13
A diverse portfolio of products and services were deployed when it came

to the saving and investment strategies used to fund retirement. In the
Middle East/Africa, 14 of 16 different investment products were used by
more than 20 percent of respondents, with local bank accounts (60%),
company pension (41%), government-initiated products (40%) and
whole life insurance (40%) the most popular options. In Asia-Pacific, 12
products were deployed among more than 20 percent of respondents,
with local bank accounts (64%), company pension (49%), whole life
insurance (37%), private pension (36%) and government initiated
products (35%) most relied on.
In Latin America and North America, eight products were used among
more than 20 percent of respondents. Latin Americans largely utilized
local bank accounts (55%), but also valued government-initiated
products (40%), whole life insurance (35%) and company pension
(35%). Most North Americans used local bank accounts (58%), followed
by company pension (38%), stocks (33%) and bonds (28%). Europeans
were the least diversified of the regions, with only five products used
by more than 20 percent of respondents: local bank accounts (59%),
private pension (39%), whole life insurance (32%), company pension
(32%) and government-initiated products (27%).
As would be expected, the time frame to achieve financial goals
for retirement was longer than other shorter-term goals. Half of all
respondents said it would take 10 years or more to save enough for
retirement, with Europeans (56%), North Americans (52%) and Latin
Americans (52%) exceeding that average.
14
SCORECARD
RETIREMENT
ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
39%
26%
30%
32%
39%
47%
35%
49%
52%
41%
14%
40%
22%
16%
20%
12%
17%
35%
36%
30%
17%
27%
26%
17%
16%
36%
31%
19%
16%
41%
25%

Less than 1 year
20 years or more
18%
17%
40%
24%
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

ASIA-PACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA L ATIN AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
64% Local bank

accounts
55% Local bank

accounts
58% Local bank

accounts
49% Company
pension
39% Private pension
41% Company pension

products
38% Company
pension
37% Whole life

insurance

and Company pension

and Government-initiated
retirement products
35% Whole life

insurance and
Company pension
33% Stock trading
36% Private
pension
retirement products
33% Private pension
32% Private pension
28% Bonds and

Private pension

products
26% Unit trust, Property

investment and Saving
plans
21% Unit trust, Pure

term life insurance
and Saving plans
26% Structured
investment products
26% Savings plans
23% Bonds
24% Whole life

insurance
24% Stock trading,

Pure term
life insurance
25% Foreign currency,

Stock trading, Pure term
life insurance, Investmentlinked insurance
22% Savings plans
23% Bonds
23% Structured investment

products
21% Investmentlinked insurance
22% Bonds
20% Unit trust

Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q3 2013 | Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100%
15
PAVING THE
WAY FOR OUR
CHILDREN
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR THE
CHILDRENS FUTURE
A persons a person, no matter how small, famously written by
Dr. Seuss in his childrens classic, HORTON HEARS A WHO. That
sentiment rang truest among respondents in Asia-Pacific (43%) and
the Middle East/Africa (35%), where saving for their childrens future
exceeded the global average of 34 percent. Latin Americans (30%),
Europeans (25%) and North Americans (19%) were not as immediately
engaged. It was also one goal that rose above the others in every
region (except North America) as receiving the highest monthly income
allocation among active savers.
Middle East/African respondents utilized a diversified saving strategy
for their childrens future, with all 20 investment products used by more
than 25 percent of respondents. Local bank accounts (60%), whole life
insurance (47%), childrens education fund (41%) and governmentinitiated products (37%) were the top methods used. More than 20
percent of Latin Americans deployed 18 investment productsmost
popular strategies included local bank accounts (59%), whole life
insurance (44%), childrens education fund (39%), and saving plans
(31%). In Asia-Pacific, local bank accounts (65%), childrens education
fund (44%), whole life insurance (32%) and saving plans (31%) were the
most popular investment products deployed.
16
Comparatively, respondents in North America and Europe were not

as diversified in funding their childrens future. More than 20 percent
of North Americans were satisfied with five of 20 products, while
Europeans relied upon only four. North Americans utilized local bank
accounts (51%), followed by whole life insurance (30%), saving plans
(25%), childrens education fund (22%) and foreign currencies (20%).
Top investment strategies in Europe included, local bank accounts
(60%), whole life insurance (29%), childrens education fund (27%) and
saving plans (22%).
The majority of online respondents in the Middle East/Africa (58%) and
Latin America (52%) believed they were less than five years away from
achieving their financial goal for saving for the childrens future, while
half European (59%), North American (57%) and Asia-Pacific (49%)
respondents needed more timefive or more years.
Saving priorities are largely dictated by local market dynamics, said
Rust. In markets where consumers are hit by high school fees and
the lack of public school availability, a significantly larger proportion
of income and savings is dedicated towards ensuring children receive
a good education from an early age. For consumers in markets where
public schools are the norm, we do tend to see longer-term saving
strategies that are dedicated specifically to the high cost of ensuring
children receive tertiary-level education.
17
SCORECARD
CHILDRENS FUTURE
ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
43%
25%
35%
30%
19%
42%
39%
50%
52%
36%
15%
36%
14%
19%
45%

Less than 1 year
18%
12%
30%
17%
19%
17%
17%
17%
16%
16%
40%
35%
27%
36%
41%
20 years or more
24%
36%
26%
31%
25%
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

ASIA-PACIFIC
EUROPE
L ATIN AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA
65% Local bank

accounts
60% Local
bank accounts
59% Local bank

accounts
51% Local bank

accounts
44% Children
education fund
29% Whole life

insurance
44% Whole life

insurance
30% Whole life

insurance
32% Whole life

insurance
27% Children
education fund
41% Children education

fund
39% Children
education fund
25% Saving plans
31% Saving plans
22% Saving
plans
retirement products
31% Saving plan
22% Children
education fund
34% Foreign currencies
29% Pure-term life

insurance
20% Foreign
currencies
28% Pure-term
life insurance

18
A SAFET Y NET IF WE
ARE DROPPED
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR THE LOSS
OF A JOB/INCOME
Whether it is interest rates, gas prices or the cost of milk, many of the
financial decisions we make exist on a sliding scale. While we plan
and adjust our expectations regularly, what happens when the bottom
drops out? Planning for unemployment while youre employed provides
a necessary parachute to soften the landing. Asia-Pacific respondents
were most actively building a safety net, with 36 percent in the region
currently saving for the loss of income. Respondents in Middle East/
Africa (33%), North America (31%) and Latin America (28%) were
close behind, but Europe trailed all the regions substantially at 20
percent. The number of European respondents actively not planning for
retirement (44% compared to a global average of 26%) only magnified
this finding.
While increasing the awareness of good financial planning is critical,
the difference in severance payments mandated by the governments in
these respective regions may explain some of the differences in savings
plans, said Rust. In regions where high levels of mandated employee
protections are in place in the event of severance, we see lower levels
of planning associated with such eventshowever this safety net
isnt provided to all consumers. Trust is also a factor, and there is still
trepidation ever since the economic downturn in relying too heavily on
investments.
Local bank accounts were used by fewer Middle East/Africa respondents
(37%) than the other regions to plan for the loss of a job, but they relied
on alternate methods at higher rates to compensate. One-fourth of
respondents used foreign currency (26%), stock trading (26%), stocks
(25%) and bonds (25%). In Latin America, local bank accounts (44%),
saving plans (23%), private pensions (21%) and government-initiated
products (21%) were among the most commonly utilized products in
the region. Asia-Pacific respondents were slightly less diversified, but
still counted local bank accounts (49%), stock trading (21%), saving
plans (21%) and company pension (20%). Conversely, Europe and North
America were the least diversified regions, where half of respondents
(52% and 47%, respectively) relied upon local bank accounts to save
for possible unemployment. The majority of respondents globally (52%)
believed they were less than three years away from saving enough to
sustain a job loss.
19
SCORECARD
LOSS OF JOB/INCOME
ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
36%
20%
33%
28%
31%
45%
35%
51%
52%
40%
19%
44%
16%
20%
29%

Less than 1 year
26%
32%
43%
45%
32%
40%
35%
28%
33%
38%
35%
22%
20%
14%
21%
20 years or more
10%
10%
9%
8%
9%
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

ASIA-PACIFIC
L ATIN AMERICA
44% Local bank

accounts
21% Stock
trading and
Saving plans

and Stock trading
23% Saving plans
20% Company
pension

products and bonds
21% Private pension

and Governmentinitiated retirement
products
23% Structured
investment products,
Saving plans, Company
pension and Private
pension
20% Foreign
currencies, Bonds and
Company pension
49% Local bank

accounts
EUROPE
52% Local
bank accounts
NORTH AMERICA
47% Local bank
accounts
22% Unit trust

20
THE JOY OF HOME

OWNERSHIP
STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR A
FIRST-TIME HOME
Buying a first home can be overwhelming, exciting, scary, rewarding
and most of all, hard work. A lot of strategic planning goes into what
is typically a longer-term financial commitment for most first-time
home buyers. The greatest percentage of active savers were found in
Asia-Pacific (35%), followed closely by respondents in Middle East/
Africa (31%), Latin America (26%) and North America (23%). European
respondents trailed the other regions at 17 percent.
Using local bank accounts to fund a first-time home purchase was the
dominant source across the regions, but a mix of stocks and bonds were
also deployed. In the Middle East/Africa region, the most commonly
used products were local bank accounts (47%), foreign currency (29%),
stock trading (28%), property investment (28%) and governmentinitiated products (27%). Latin Americans relied on local bank accounts
(48%), property investment (25%), foreign currencies (23%) and
stock trading (21%). Asia-Pacific respondents relied on local bank
accounts (52%), stock trading (26%) and property investment (23%).
Respondents in North America and Europe utilized local bank accounts
(37% and 54%, respectively) at the highest rates.
The majority of respondents in all regions believed they would meet their
goals for a first-time property purchase in less than three years, with the
exception of Europe, where expectations were longer less than five
years. One-fifth of respondents in Middle East/Africa (22%) and North
America (21%) had high expectations that they would achieve this goal
in less than six months.
The aspirations of upward mobility and the opportunity to own a home
is apparent in some of the more developing regions of the world, said
Rust. But due to the cost of housing, affordability and the amount of
disposable income makes it easier to attain in some markets more than
others.
21
SCORECARD
FIRST-TIME PROPERT Y PURCHASE

ASIAPACIFIC
EUROPE
MIDDLE EAST /
AFRICA
L ATIN
AMERICA
NORTH
AMERICA
35%
17%
31%
26%
23%
38%
27%
49%
46%
33%
27%
56%
20%
28%
45%

Less than 1 year
28%
28%
43%
34%
37%
45%
36%
39%
41%
35%
22%
27%
14%
22%
21%
3%
10%
4%
4%
8%
20 years or more
TOP METHODS TO SAVE

ASIA-PACIFIC
L ATIN AMERICA
48% Local bank

accounts
26% Stock
trading
25% Property
investment
23% Property
investment
28% Stock trading and

Property investment
20% Saving
plans

products
21% Stock trading
54% Local bank

accounts
EUROPE
54% Local
bank accounts
NORTH AMERICA
37% Local bank
accounts
26% Bonds
22
COUNTRIES INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY
ASIA PACIFIC
EUROPE
LATIN AMERICA
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
NORTH AMERICA
ASIA-PACIFIC
Estonia
78%
LATIN AMERICA
INTERNET
PENETRATION
Finland
89%
MARKET
France
80%
INTERNET
PENETRATION
89%
Germany
83%
Argentina
66%
40%
Greece
53%
Brazil
46%
Hong Kong
75%
Hungary
65%
Chile
59%
India
11%
Ireland
77%
Colombia
60%
Indonesia
22%
Israel
70%
Mexico
37%
80%
Italy
58%
Peru
37%
61%
Latvia
72%
Venezuela
41%
New Zealand
88%
Lithuania
65%
Philippines
32%
Netherlands
93%
Singapore
75%
Norway
97%
MARKET
South Korea
83%
Poland
65%
INTERNET
PENETRATION
75%
Portugal
55%
Egypt
36%
30%
Romania
44%
Pakistan
15%
34%
Russia
48%
Saudi Arabia
49%
Serbia
56%
South Africa
17%
Slovakia
79%
71%
INTERNET
PENETRATION
Slovenia
72%
United Arab
Emirates
Spain
67%
Austria
80%
Sweden
93%
NORTH AMERICA
Belgium
81%
Switzerland
82%
MARKET
Bulgaria
51%
Turkey
46%
INTERNET
PENETRATION
Croatia
71%
United Kingdom
84%
34%
83%
73%
Ukraine
Canada
Czech Republic
United States
78%
Denmark
90%
MARKET
Australia
China
Japan
Malaysia
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
EUROPE
MARKET
Source: Internet World Stats, June 30, 2012
23
ABOUT THE NIELSEN GLOBAL SURVEY

The Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies was
conducted between August 14 and September 6, 2013, and polled
more than 30,000 consumers in 60 countries throughout Asia-Pacific,
Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America. The
sample has quotas based on age and sex for each country based on
their Internet users, and is weighted to be representative of Internet
consumers and has a maximum margin of error of 0.6%. This Nielsen
survey is based on the behavior of respondents with online access only.
Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum
reporting standard of 60 percent Internet penetration or 10M online
population for survey inclusion. The Nielsen Global Survey, which
includes the Global Consumer Confidence Survey, was established in
2005.
ABOUT NIELSEN
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and
measurement company with leading market positions in marketing
and consumer information, television and other media measurement,
online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in
approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and
Diemen, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company. All rights reserved. Nielsen and
the Nielsen logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of CZT/ACN
Trademarks, L.L.C. Other product and service names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies. 14/7300
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ARE WE

FUTURE INVESTMENT APPETITE IS STRONGER IN DEVELOPING

GLOBALLY, MORE THAN HALF ARE CONFIDENT THEY WILL

ACTIVE SAVING FOR HEALTH ISSUES, HOUSEHOLD

GLOBALLY, MORE RESPONDENTS SAY THAT SAVING FOR THEIR

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

To help answer these questions, Nielsen conducted a global study to

ABOUT THE GLOBAL SURVEY

Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

NOW VS. L ATER SAVING/INVESTING INTENTIONS

LOSS OF JOB INCOME

SECOND HOME PURCHASE

Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q3 2013

Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

FINANCIAL CONFIDENCE WAS HIGHEST IN ASIA-PACIFIC

I INCREASED THE PERCENT OF INCOME

Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q3 2013

* Source: 2012 Apple Association Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

Latin American respondents largely utilized local bank accounts (43%)

Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company

I Actively Save/Invest Now

TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS

TOP METHODS TO SAVE

55% Local bank

39% Local bank

39% Whole life

25% Whole life

43% Local bank accounts

26% Whole life insurance

52% Local bank

20% Whole life

22% Pure-term life

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company

I Actively Save/Invest Now

I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future

I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future

TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS

1 year to less than 5 years

5 years to less than 20 years

TOP METHODS TO SAVE

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

56% Local bank

65% Local bank

47% Local bank accounts

49% Local bank accounts

61% Local bank

27% Whole life

28% Governmentinitiated retirement

27% Whole life insurance

22% Saving plans

24% Private pension

23% Whole life insurance

22% Unit trust

Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q3 2013

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company

A diverse portfolio of products and services were deployed when it came

GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

I Actively Save/Invest Now