ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Americans are very concerned with two national issues affecting their goals for retirement: the solvency and ability of Social Security to provide enough money and incurring medical expenses they cant afford, according to investing company Scottrade, Inc.s 2012 American Retirement Study. As a result, more Americans are seeking out income-generating holdings.

While Americans waning confidence with the future of Social Security is nothing new, it is compounded this year with an emerging concern of covering living expenses during retirement. This general worry had dipped from 2010 to 2011, but in this years sixth annual study significantly more Americans responded that they are either extremely concerned or very concerned with three factors:

Americans general concern with having enough money for retirement hit a six-year high. More than half, at 57 percent, reported they are either extremely concerned or very concerned with this issue, up from 47 percent in 2011 and 56 percent in 2007.

As a result, the majority of Americans, at 56 percent, think generating income during retirement is more important today than it was a year ago. The reason, according to 67 percent of those respondents, is simply an expectation that the cost of living during retirement will be more expensive. This is leading 38 percent of all survey respondents to structure their portfolio to include income-generating investments.

An investors confidence to take control of their financial future starts with investment education, said Kristin Grupas, Scottrades assistant director of customer education.At Scottrade, we empower our clients by offering a variety of free investing resources, including more than two-dozen investing seminars presented at our 505 branch offices nationwide.

Through these small group presentations, our associates educate self-directed investors and traders on everything from the basics of using Scottrades online trading and investing tools to advanced topics, such as generating income through the covered call option strategy.

While the majority of survey respondents over the age of 55 strongly agreed that given the opportunity to do it over, they would have started saving for retirement at a younger age, roughly a quarter said they would have become more educated about planning for retirement. Learning from their regret, more Americans, at 35 percent, expect to seek out information to learn more about retirement planning in 2012, compared to 28 percent in 2011. When looking at the responses by generations, the younger groups Gen Y and Gen X led this educational drive with 40 percent and 44 percent, respectively, stating they will seek out information in 2012.

Scottrades easy-to-use online trading and investing tools, said Grupas, coupled with its diversified offering of investment products and services help self-directed investors and traders set a course for financial success.

In addition to face-to-face meetings and classes, Scottrade offers many online resources to its clients through its free education center, the Knowledge Center, to help them make better-informed decisions. Components of the Knowledge Center include:

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Scottrade Research Uncovers Trend: Income During Retirement A Growing Necessity