Americans less pessimistic about financial security

Americans are slightly less pessimistic about their financial security than they were in April, according to the results of a bimonthly survey. In April, an index of the public mood dipped to 64.6, from 64.9, the smallest overall decline since October, according to Rasmussen Reports LLC, an Asbury Park, N.J.-based research firm that conducts the survey for Bloomington, Ill.-based Country Financial. The survey polls 3,000 Americans by telephone. Of respondents, 45% said they believed that their financial security was getting worse, down from 49% in April. Those rating their overall financial security as excellent or good increased 2 percentage points to 39%, marking the first increase since August. Meanwhile, 63% of respondents said they were confident in their ability to send their children to college, up four points from April. Americans’ sentiments suggest that the economy may be turning a corner. “While we aren’t out of the woods yet, it is uplifting that the slide continues to slow,” Keith Brannan, vice president of financial security planning at Country Financial, said in a statement. “One of the most difficult things for us all in these tough times is maintaining our long-term financial needs while making sure the essentials are covered.”