The American savings rate is abysmal, according to an article in CNN Money. The piece reports on a survey conducted by Bankrate, which shows that half of Americans save 5 percent or less of their income, and 18 percent are saving nothing at all. The survey found that only 25 percent of people save more than 10 percent. Bankrate believes that the ideal amount to be saved is 15 percent, something only one in seven Americans do.