They may have the motivation, and even have the money, but more than a third of American pre-retirees say they're simply overwhelmed by the process.

A new survey conducted by E*Trade in association with Harris Interactive indicates there are lots of great intentions when it comes to retirement planning and the basics of investing, but a sizeable percentage of American workers are frozen in their tracks when it comes to getting the process started.

The survey found that 37% of participants said they're interested in working with a professional to help manage their retirement accounts but don't think that they have enough savings or investments to justify getting the assistance.

Some 32% said they have yet to roll over a 401(k) from a former employer because they find the process too confusing, intimidating or time-consuming; 41% said they believe that opening an IRA account takes too much time, and 56% said they believe managing an IRA requires more financial know-how than they currently have.

Opinions (and actions) on 401(k) plans were even more vague: 32% who currently have a 401(k) are not confident it will ever grow enough to meet their retirement needs, 28% don't review their statements or have difficulty at present to keep track of their account performance, and 21% do not know what fees are being charged as part of their 401(k).

This article was originally posted at BenefitsPro.com, a sister site of Credit Union Times.