Americans' Financial Security Sentiments Inch-Up in August

Young Americans' Optimism Helps Boost COUNTRY Index

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/- Despite continuing news about the troubled economy, Americans' perceptions of their own financial situations have grown slightly more positive this summer. The COUNTRY Financial Security Index SM rose to 69.9 in August, up 0.6 from June and 2.1 since April. More Americans, particularly younger age groups, rated their overall financial security positively in August than in June.

Overall, half (50 percent) of the nation's adults rated their financial security as good or excellent this period, a four-point increase since June. The strongest upsurges came from Americans ages 18-29 and 30-39, where there were increases of six points and four points respectively in the combined good and excellent ratings. The rising sentiment among 18-29 year olds resulted despite an eight-point drop, from 55 percent to 47 percent, in the number who said they were able to set aside money to save or invest.

"The numbers suggest that people are growing more accustomed to the current economic situation," says Keith Brannan, vice president of financial security planning for COUNTRY Financial. "Specifically, young Americans likely are realizing they have time on their side to improve their financial security. But that doesn't mean they are -- or should be -- comfortable. Those who have made the lifestyle adjustments or put a new plan in place should feel better about their ability to weather this economy. Our concern is for those who have not taken those steps or who are not sticking to their plan."

Americans' worries about debt continue to dip

-- Those confident they can pay all of their debts as they come due increased again in August, up another two points since June to 82 percent.

Confidence in insurance protection hits high

-- Eighty-five percent are confident their house, car and possessions are adequately insured, up two points from June and the most Americans to feel this way since the Index began in February 2007.

-- There was a four-point increase to 68 percent in those confident their family would live comfortably if they died or were disabled, the most confident in this measure to date.

"There is much more to financial security than what happens on Wall Street. It is encouraging to see people are growing more confident about protecting their home and possessions, and using life and disability insurance to protect their income should the unthinkable happen," adds Brannan.

Individuals can learn more and compare their own results with the national COUNTRY Financial Security Index by visiting http://www.countryfinancialsecurityindex.com. The next COUNTRY Financial Security Index will be released October 21, 2008 and subsequently every other month.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index(SM) 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 Financial (http://www.countryfinancial.com) and is compiled by Rasmussen Reports, LLC (http://www.rasmussenreports.com), an independent research firm, based on a national telephone survey of at least 3,000 Americans.

The margin of sampling error for a survey based on this many interviews is approximately +/- 2 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

About COUNTRY

COUNTRY Financial (http://www.countryfinancial.com) 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.