Jerseyans Face Retirement Worries [POLL/AUDIO]

If you live in New Jersey and you're worried about running out of money during your retirement, you are certainly not alone.

A new Merrill Edge survey of Garden State residents with between $25,000 and $250,000 in investable assets finds that 67 percent of those polled are frightened about going broke during their golden years.

"That was much more than the national average at 55 percent," said Ray Tenpenny, regional sales manager for Merrill Edge.

The report also finds New Jersey is a little bit more balanced with saving for the future versus "living for the now."

"We asked New Jersey respondents to give us your top priorities, and 62 percent said saving for the future is important, and 61 percent said living comfortably now," Tenpenny said. "But 74 percent of New Jersey respondents said they have financial commitments that compete with their retirement savings, so the biggest one that comes up is unexpected costs."

Those would include damage from events like Superstorm Sandy, financially helping grown children and paying unexpected medical bills.

He said the survey also found while 67 percent of respondents were worried about going broke when they retire, "losing a job was at 43 percent, weight gain was at 26 percent, public speaking was at 22 percent and going to the dentist came in at 18 percent.

Tenpenny stressed 401K plans are definitely a trigger for people to start saving early and often, "especially when you can get that match from your employer, that's pretty important."