Savings is income not spent, or deferred consumption. It can be money that is set aside in either a savings account or certificate of deposit or stored at home in a safe or other secure location for future use, including retirement. Nations can be compared based on a national "rate of savings" which is the ratio of new savings deposits as a portion of the gross domestic product of the nation. Currently in America the rate of savings is very low. Economists study savings patterns of businesses, households or both.[1]