ARE WE THE FUTURE? SAVING AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AROUND THE WORLD JANUARY 2014

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1 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

2 GAP BETWEEN FINANCIAL REALITY 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 CHILDREN S 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 children s future? 2 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

3 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 one s 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 children s 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 3

4 FUTURE INVESTMENT PLANS ARE STRONGER THAN CURRENT INTENTIONS There s 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 goal health 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 children s 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. 4 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

5 NOW VS. LATER 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 LONGER-TERM GOALS 42% 41% HEALTH ISSUES 29% 35% 45% 44% PERSONAL LUXURY PURCHASE RETIREMENT UNEXPECTED HOUSEHOLD EMERGENCIES LOSS OF JOB INCOME MARRIAGE 41% 44% 31% 43% 23% 31% 19% 36% HAVING A BABY OPEN 28% 36% FIRST-TIME HOME PURCHASE 23% UPGRADED PROPERTY PURCHASE 23% 41% 37% START-UP BUSINESS CHILDREN S FUTURE HIGHER EDUCATION 19% FINANCIAL LEGACY 18% 34% 42% 28% 33% 38% 44% SECOND HOME PURCHASE Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 5

6 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. 6 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

7 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 significantly more 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 North America Latin America Europe ASIA-PACIFIC 78% ASIA-PACIFIC 54% MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA NORTH LATIN 67% 66% 62% 50% MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA 36% LATIN 29% NORTH EUROPE 55% 27% EUROPE Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 7

8 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 (55%), whole life (39%), pure-term life (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 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 (39%), whole life, governmentinitiated products (both at 25%), pure-term life (22%), company pension (22%), private pension (22%) and investment-linked (21%). * Source: 2012 Apple Association Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference 8 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

9 Latin American respondents largely utilized local bank (43%) to save for health-related issues, but also found value in whole life (26%), pure-term life (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 and one-fifth in each region relied on whole life. 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 aren t hesitating to take the necessary means to reach the next level of financial security. They re actively investing at a higher rate, diversifying their investments to create more predictable outcomes, and focusing on achieving them sooner rather than later. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 9

10 SCORECARD HEALTH ISSUES NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS ASIA- PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH I Actively Save/Invest Now 55% 24% 41% 38% 33% I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future 38% 41% 46% 48% 46% I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future 7% 35% 13% 14% 21% TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS Less than 1 year 35% 37% 54% 55% 31% 1 year to less than 5 years 31% 30% 27% 24% 33% 5 years to less than 20 years 24% 22% 13% 15% 26% 20 years or more 11% 10% 5% 7% 11% TOP METHODS TO SAVE STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS ASIA-PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH 55% Local bank 50% Local bank 39% Local bank 43% Local bank 52% Local bank 39% Whole life 22% Whole life 25% Whole life and Government-initiated retirement products 26% Whole life 20% Whole life 28% Pure-term life 22% Pure-term life, Savings plans, Private pension and Company pension 22% Pure-term life 24% Savings plans 21% Investment-linked 20% Government-initiated retirement products 21% Company pension and Investment-linked Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100% 10 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

11 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, it s 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 (27%), and saving plans (24%), and pure-term life (20%). Latin Americans relied on whole life (27%), pure-term life (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. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 11

12 SCORECARD UNEXPECTED HOUSEHOLD EMERGENCIES NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS ASIA- PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH I Actively Save/Invest Now 47% 32% 40% 38% 39% I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future 44% 41% 47% 51% 47% I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future 9% 27% 13% 11% 14% TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS Less than 1 year 33% 46% 57% 61% 45% 1 year to less than 5 years 39% 36% 29% 27% 33% 5 years to less than 20 years 20% 13% 10% 10% 16% 20 years or more 7% 5% 4% 3% 6% TOP METHODS TO SAVE STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS ASIA-PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH 56% Local bank 65% Local bank 47% Local bank 49% Local bank 61% Local bank 27% Whole life 20% Saving plans 28% Governmentinitiated retirement products 27% Whole life 22% Saving plans 24% Savings plans 24% Private pension 21% Investment-linked 20% Pure-term life 23% Whole life and Saving plans 22% Unit trust 20% Pure-term life and Government-initiated retirement products Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100% 12 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

13 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 America s 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 contribution more 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. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 13

14 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 (60%), company pension (41%), government-initiated products (40%) and whole life (40%) the most popular options. In Asia-Pacific, 12 products were deployed among more than 20 percent of respondents, with local bank (64%), company pension (49%), whole life (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 (55%), but also valued government-initiated products (40%), whole life (35%) and company pension (35%). Most North Americans used local bank (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 (59%), private pension (39%), whole life (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 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

15 SCORECARD RETIREMENT NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS ASIA- PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH I Actively Save/Invest Now 39% 26% 30% 32% 39% I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future 47% 35% 49% 52% 41% I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future 14% 40% 22% 16% 20% TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS Less than 1 year 18% 12% 30% 17% 19% 1 year to less than 5 years 17% 17% 17% 16% 16% 5 years to less than 20 years 40% 35% 27% 36% 41% 20 years or more 24% 36% 26% 31% 25% TOP METHODS TO SAVE STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS ASIA-PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH 64% Local bank 59% Local bank 60% Local bank 55% Local bank 58% Local bank 49% Company pension 39% Private pension 41% Company pension 40% Governmentinitiated retirement products 38% Company pension 37% Whole life 32% Whole life and Company pension 40% Whole life and Government-initiated retirement products 35% Whole life and Company pension 33% Stock trading 36% Private pension 27% Government-initiated retirement products 33% Private pension 32% Private pension 28% Bonds and Private pension 35% Governmentinitiated retirement products 26% Savings plans 23% Bonds 24% Stock trading, Pure term life 23% Bonds 21% Investmentlinked 20% Unit trust 26% Unit trust, Property investment and Saving plans 25% Foreign currency, Stock trading, Pure term life, Investmentlinked 23% Structured investment products 22% Bonds 21% Unit trust, Pure term life and Saving plans 26% Structured investment products 24% Whole life 22% Savings plans Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100% Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 15

16 PAVING THE WAY FOR OUR CHILDREN STRATEGIES TO SAVE FOR THE CHILDREN S FUTURE A person s a person, no matter how small, famously written by Dr. Seuss in his children s 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 children s 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 children s future, with all 20 investment products used by more than 25 percent of respondents. Local bank (60%), whole life (47%), children s education fund (41%) and governmentinitiated products (37%) were the top methods used. More than 20 percent of Latin Americans deployed 18 investment products most popular strategies included local bank (59%), whole life (44%), children s education fund (39%), and saving plans (31%). In Asia-Pacific, local bank (65%), children s education fund (44%), whole life (32%) and saving plans (31%) were the most popular investment products deployed. 16 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

17 Comparatively, respondents in North America and Europe were not as diversified in funding their children s 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 (51%), followed by whole life (30%), saving plans (25%), children s education fund (22%) and foreign currencies (20%). Top investment strategies in Europe included, local bank (60%), whole life (29%), children s 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 children s future, while half European (59%), North American (57%) and Asia-Pacific (49%) respondents needed more time five 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. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 17

18 SCORECARD CHILDREN S FUTURE NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS ASIA- PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH I Actively Save/Invest Now 43% 25% 35% 30% 19% I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future 42% 39% 50% 52% 36% I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future 15% 36% 14% 19% 45% TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS Less than 1 year 18% 12% 30% 17% 19% 1 year to less than 5 years 17% 17% 17% 16% 16% 5 years to less than 20 years 40% 35% 27% 36% 41% 20 years or more 24% 36% 26% 31% 25% TOP METHODS TO SAVE STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS ASIA-PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH 65% Local bank 60% Local bank 60% Local bank 59% Local bank 51% Local bank 44% Children education fund 29% Whole life 47% Whole life 44% Whole life 30% Whole life 32% Whole life 27% Children education fund 41% Children education fund 39% Children education fund 25% Saving plans 31% Saving plans 22% Saving plans 37% Government-initiated retirement products 31% Saving plan 22% Children education fund 28% Pure-term life 34% Foreign currencies 29% Pure-term life 20% Foreign currencies Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100% 18 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

19 A SAFETY 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 you re 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 events however this safety net isn t 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 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 (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 (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 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. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 19

20 SCORECARD LOSS OF JOB/INCOME NOW VS. LATER SAVING / INVESTING INTENTIONS ASIA- PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH I Actively Save/Invest Now 36% 20% 33% 28% 31% I Plan to Save/Invest in the Future 45% 35% 51% 52% 40% I Will Not Save/Invest Now or in Future 19% 44% 16% 20% 29% TIME FRAME TO ACHIEVE FINANCIAL GOALS Less than 1 year 26% 32% 43% 45% 32% 1 year to less than 5 years 40% 35% 28% 33% 38% 5 years to less than 20 years 35% 22% 20% 14% 21% 20 years or more 10% 10% 9% 8% 9% TOP METHODS TO SAVE STRATEGIES USED BY +20% OF RESPONDENTS ASIA-PACIFIC EUROPE MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA LATIN NORTH 49% Local bank 52% Local bank 37% Local bank 44% Local bank 47% Local bank 21% Stock trading and Saving plans 20% Company pension 26% Foreign currencies and Stock trading 25% Governmentinitiated retirement products and bonds 23% Structured investment products, Saving plans, Company pension and Private pension 22% Unit trust 23% Saving plans 21% Private pension and Governmentinitiated retirement products 20% Foreign currencies, Bonds and Company pension Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Saving and Investment Strategies, Q Due to rounding, numbers may not equal 100% 20 GLOBAL SAVING & INVESTING REPORT

21 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 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 (47%), foreign currency (29%), stock trading (28%), property investment (28%) and governmentinitiated products (27%). Latin Americans relied on local bank (48%), property investment (25%), foreign currencies (23%) and stock trading (21%). Asia-Pacific respondents relied on local bank (52%), stock trading (26%) and property investment (23%). Respondents in North America and Europe utilized local bank (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. Copyright 2014 The Nielsen Company 21