"Americans have become conditioned to think that by building a retirement nest egg they are financially prepared to retire, but there's more -- a comprehensive retirement plan does not end there," said Tom McInerney, chief executive officer for ING's U.S financial services. "The retirement paycheck is a monumental issue because according to our research, 86 percent of Americans expect to have a comfortable retirement."

McInerney emphasized that individuals need to plan how to best convert their nest egg into a long-term income stream they won't outlive.  The consequences of careless decisions stemming from inadequate planning can undermine years of successful scrimping and saving.

Over half of the respondents say professional investment advice is essential for a comfortable retirement, but only 48 percent say they turn to a financial adviser for retirement planning.

In conjunction with the survey, ING announced it has launched a business effort focused on delivering retirement counsel and advice to individual consumers who "recognize the need to retire ready." The new Financial Horizons Advisory Program is a fee-based service intended to provide advice that's well matched to an individual's particular situation. It includes a Retirement Readiness Checkup, a Retirement Readiness Analysis and a Retirement Readiness.

A free Retirement Readiness Checkup can be accessed at www.ing-usa.com/RetireReady. 

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