About 76% of Americans are prepared to work longer to save for retirement and 25% say this will be until at least age 80, according a Wells Fargo survey.

"Eighty is the new 65, it's a real sea change," Wells Fargo's executive vp told Bloomberg News.

Joseph Ready said "people are starting to move toward understanding what they have to do to make it in retirement."

Residents of the New York City area are generally the least ready for retirement, according to a ranking of 30 major metro areas by Ameriprise Financial.

Advisors Bring 'Em Closer
Those who use a paid financial advisor are more than 20% closer to being ready for retirement than those who don't.

A survey conducted by Putnam Investments showed that do-it-yourself investors are on track to replace just 61% of their current income in retirement while those who use advisors are on track to replace 82%.

"This advantage is consistent at every income level," Putnam's director of defined contribution services Edmund F. Murphy wrote in Investment News.

Recovery -- Obama Style
Just 17% of Americans say their financial situation is improving compared with 27% six months ago, according to surveys commissioned by Bankrate.com

Other findings:

• Nearly a third say their finances are in worse shape than they were a year ago.

• About 30% believe their net worth is lower than it was a year ago.

• Nearly half feel less comfortable about their savings than they did a year ago.

• Nearly one in five tapped into their retirement account for an emergency within the past year.

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