Ninety-four percent of Americans want to do a better job managing their money, according to a recent ING survey. ING surveyed ten countries, including the U.S., and found that globally, approximately 89 percent of the respondents want to improve how they manage their finances.

ING's research also shed light on attitudes toward retirement savings. The survey revealed that 97% of American respondents fully understand that the earlier you start saving for retirement, the better off they will be. However, only 53% are currently saving for retirement. Some of the most common reasons given for not saving for retirement were:

• Not knowing where to start (29%)
• Postponing getting started (23%)
• Needing help, but not knowing where to get it (18%)

"For most Americans, maximizing the use of workplace retirement plans is an important step toward reaching a secure retirement — it's the best possible starting point," said Rob Leary, DEO, ING Insurance U.S. "One way to get people on the path to better managing their financial future is helping them focus on maximizing their workplace retirement plan. Americans cannot delay giving themselves a 'retirement raise.' A modest increase in your workplace retirement plan contribution rate can go a long way toward ensuring a more financially secure retirement."

The results come from a Financial Intelligence Quotient (FQ) test conducted by ING to measure the financial literacy of consumers from 10 different countries, including the U.S., and how their level of financial literacy influences their attitudes, behaviors and emotional well-being. Depending on their responses to the FQ questions, consumers fell into one of four financial-literacy knowledge profiles: Excellent, Good, Basic or Poor. The survey results indicate that the more financially literate someone is, the happier and more confident they tend to be.