1 in 6 Canadians aged 55 or older hasn't started retirement saving yet, RBC survey suggests

Almost half of Canadians 55 years and older say they are not on track with their retirement planning, a new poll commissioned by the Royal Bank of Canada suggests.

In an online survey of 2,033 adult Canadians commissioned by the bank and conducted by Ipsos, 46 per cent of poll respondents said their No. 1 concern was whether or not they will have enough money to retire on.

Having enough money to cover health-care costs was also a major fear, cited by 34 per cent of respondents.

With longevity increasing, many Canadians who retire at the usual time could be facing a retirement that lasts three decades or more. While that's a good thing, the numbers suggest few people are planning on financing their lives that long without working income.

"Thirty years in retirement should be a huge gift of time, when you can do what you want, when you want — but you need to connect the dots between living longer in retirement and preparing for those additional years," RBC's Yasmin Musani said in a statement.

According to the survey, roughly one-sixth of Canadians aged 55 or older haven't started to plan for their retirements.

And the numbers suggest that financial concerns aren't the only worries that Canadians have about their retirement. Among the concerns of those in the poll who had yet to retire, a major one was being alone, which was listed as a worry by 15 per cent of people.

Additionally, the study found that:

- 13 per cent of respondent said they would miss the sense of purpose they feel when working.

- 12 per cent said they didn't know how they would pass the time.

- four per cent worried that people wouldn't see them as a productive member of society.

About 10 per cent of respondents said one of their major retirement worries would be not having enough time with their spouse. But four per cent of respondents worried about the opposite problem — having too much time with their spouse.

"You'll likely find your priorities — and their related financial implications — shifting as you approach and then enter retirement," said Bill Hill, national retirement planning consultant for RBC, in a release.

"That's why it's so important to have a conversation about your retirement thoughts with the key people in your life."