More than half of employees ‘have not planned their finances beyond 2020’

More than half of employees face potentially going into 2021 without a financial plan, according to a survey.

Some 53% do not have plans in place to get them through 2021, Fidelity International found.

With many people having undergone income shocks this year, a significant proportion (23%) said they are only thinking weeks ahead.

Nearly half (48%) would only have enough cash to last three months or less in the event they lost their main source of income, the survey of more than 2,000 employees across the UK found.

Four months was the average length of the financial buffer people had put by across the survey.

More than a fifth (22%) are worried about their ability to cope with a financial shock.

Just one in six (15%) people feel completely on track to reach their financial goals.

Maike Currie, investment director, workplace investing at Fidelity International, said: “One of the most important steps people can take right now is to make sure they understand their financial situation and identify the areas in which they can take control, whether in their spending, saving or management of investments.

“Taking these small steps today can help you to understand the choices available to you longer term and provide some peace of mind during times of uncertainty.”