Most Dutch have insufficient financial buffers: Rabobank

Most Dutch people are not building sufficient financial buffers for a financially healthy future, Rabobank concludes based on a study by Nibud. Only two in five Dutch put money aside for training, income decreases, pensions, or healthcare, ANP reports.

Nibud questioned 2 thousand people for this study. Nearly half of respondents indicated that they are concerned about money matters in the future, yet most do nothing about it. Around a third don't have the money to set aside. But of the two thirds who do have financial room to set money aside, only 39 percent actually do so. 

Nearly 40 percent feel that they are not responsible for their financial situation after their retirement - that is the work of the government or financial service providers such as pension funds. 

The study also found that four out of five homeowners do not realize that a repayment-free mortgage must eventually be repaid. And a large proportion of people in the age group 18 to 34 years estimate their retirement age incorrectly. People currently in their thirties' retirement age is 71 years, two years later than they think on average.