You’re doing better than around 50% of Americans if you check off just 1 of these 3 boxes. How do you stack up?
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It’s easy and quite common to feel like you’re behind everyone else when it comes to finances.
Fifty-three percent of Americans surveyed by Navigator in July said they felt they were financially behind what they thought they would be [1]. The same majority (53%) expressed uneasiness about their personal finances in the next few months, while a quarter said they were “very” uneasy (26%). With the bleak outlook for employment and the economy combined with stubborn inflation, it’s easy to understand why Americans are nervous.
But according to some financial parameters, the threshold for the top 50% is surprisingly low. It doesn’t take much to put yourself in a better position than about half of the adults in the country. In fact, if you can tick just one of the three boxes below, you’re already in the top half or somewhat close to it.
Here’s a closer look.
By 2025, 57 percent of American adults say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to MarketWatch Guides [2]. And it should come as no surprise that younger Americans are more likely to live this way. Sixty-five percent of millennials and 72% of Gen Z Americans said they fit this category.
“Living paycheck to paycheck means having little to no money left over after paying basic expenses like rent and utilities,” MarketWatch said. “Someone living paycheck to paycheck will be at risk of not being able to pay their bills or meet their needs if they miss a single payday. Living paycheck to paycheck can make it difficult to build an emergency fund, save for the future, or splurge occasionally.”
In other words, if you manage to save even a little money at the end of each month – whether by cutting expenses or increasing your income – you will be ahead of more than half the country’s population. If you’re young and saving money, congratulations, you’re in an elite group of financial ninjas!
You may feel like you need to get a big promotion or even change careers to join this group (if you haven’t already). But you can start to take control of your finances by creating a manageable budget and sticking to it. One of the best ways to do this is with a tracking app. Monarch Coin.
This financial management platform offers an all-in-one tool to help you track investments, expenses, and budgeting, and even offers personalized advice so you can feel confident with your money.
You can also feel safe sharing your financial data with Monarch Money; The app is protected by Plaid for secure data integration and uses multi-factor authentication at login, so you can keep your accounts safe.
Download the app now seven day free trial. Afterwards, you can benefit from a 50% discount on your first year with the code WISE50.
If you’re on a budget but can’t find room for extra savings, consider pushing your spare cash further with Acorns.
acorn It is an automated investment and savings platform that simplifies the process of allocating extra funds.
when you sign up and link your bank accountAcorns automatically rounds the price of each of your purchases to the nearest dollar. The difference comes down to a smart investment portfolio that allows you to grow your wealth without a second thought.
It’s natural to worry about money from time to time. Even billionaires probably worry about taxes or a stock market crash. But if you frequently worry about finances, this could be a bright red flag.
Surprisingly, 52% of Americans surveyed by Ramsey Solutions in June 2025 said they worry about their finances on a daily basis [3]. Additionally, 34 percent of Americans lose sleep over money.
This is the harsh reality for many Americans. But if your financial situation is stable enough to allow you to forget about money problems every now and then, consider yourself lucky. You are better off than half the country, both financially and psychologically.
You can get your finances on a more stable track and sleep better by talking to a pre-supervised advisor about your money concerns.
advisor.com‘s platform can connect you with the proxy advisor best suited to your retirement goals. They vet every partner on their platform, and it’s easy to match with advisors in your area, too.
How it works is simple: Just enter some basic information like your zip code and financial goals. From there, Advisor.com will match you with one to three advisors. Then you can Arrange a free, no-obligation consultation to see if they are right for you.
Considering that most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and worry about their finances on a daily basis, it should come as no surprise that many struggle to secure their future financial needs.
A poll by Gallup found that 59% of Americans have at least some money saved in a retirement account, either alone or with a spouse. [4]. But younger Americans are much less likely to have such savings. Only 39% of adults ages 18 to 29 said they had money put into a retirement savings plan.
So, if you have even a modest amount of money put aside, you’re probably doing better than 41% of Americans, and if you’re saving for retirement before age 29, you’re doing better than six in ten of your peers.
Protecting your nest egg is also important, and ensuring your investments are diversified outside of the stock market is an excellent way to do this. Gold has historically been a great inflation hedge and is an asset that has reached record highs.
Established with the help of a self-directed Gold IRA Thor Metals It can be a good long-term option for your savings. This allows you to invest under an individual retirement account and enjoy the tax benefits of an IRA.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets in a retirement account; This combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an attractive option for those looking to potentially protect their retirement funds against inflation and economic uncertainties.
To learn more, you can get a free information guide with details on how to do it. Get up to $20,000 in free metal About qualified purchases.
If you check even one of the boxes mentioned above, you’re better off than most Americans. If you check all three, you meet the minimum required for financial success. But to increase your chances of success, you need to go beyond these basic requirements.
Maximize the amount of money you save each month, change jobs or pay for education to increase your income, minimize or eliminate expensive consumer debt, and make strategic long-term investments. Just because you’re in a better position than 50% of Americans doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for the top 10%.
Sources:
[1]. Traveler. “The Majority Feels Behind Financially”
[2]. MarketWatch Guides. “57% of Americans Will Switch from Paycheck to Paycheck by 2025.”
[3]. Ramsey Solutions. “The State of Personal Finance in America Q2 2025”
[4]. Gallup. “What Percentage of Americans Have a Retirement Savings Account?”
