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controlling their finances," she said. "On the downside, however, many people give themselves poor grades on their knowledge of personal finance, and worry that they're not saving enough for a rainy day - or for retirement."
• Here are some of the survey's key findings:
• • 40 percent of adults have a budget and closely track their spending. In other words, 60 percent don't use a budget.
• • Only 32 percent of those polled spend less on living expenses now than they did last year - a steady decline since 2009's 59 percent level. At the same time, 27 percent said they now spend more than they did a year ago.
• • About 71 percent pay all bills on time and have no debts in collection - a 7 percent improvement from 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adults who do not pay all bills on time has decreased, from 33 percent in 2012 to 26 percent in 2013.
• • 37 percent carry credit card debt from month to month - a 7 percent decrease since the question was first asked in 2009.
• • Insufficient savings tops the list of financial worries, with 43 percent most worried that they don't have enough emergency savings, and 38 percent worried they'll retire with inadequate savings. In fact, a whopping 31 percent say they currently save nothing for retirement.
• • When asked where they learned the most about personal finance, the largest number (33 percent) said from their parents; yet 78 percent agree that they could benefit from advice and answers to everyday financial questions from a professional.
•
• To me, perhaps the most telling statistic is that 40 percent of adults give them

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