A survey of about 1,100 Americans finds that more than 4-in-10 respondents admit they don’t have more than $500 in readily accessible savings.

The survey is a kind of departure for CreditDonkey.com, a website that compares credit card deals. Not respondents all were poor. Some had big houses, big mortgages or 401(k)s, but still no more than five Benjamins to rub together right now. …

In addition to the emergency savings question, the survey found that 54% of respondents don’t have a savings plan in place, and 45% are afraid they’ll never be able to save.