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And if you’re 50 or older, you also can take advantage of the catch-up contributions you can make every year, which can not only reduce your current year tax bill but might offer you an even bigger matching contribution from your employer.Īnd one way to boost your own retirement savings is it to increase your contribution rate every time you get a raise.

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So try to save at least as much as required to get your full match. One of the most valuable benefits, however, is likely to be the matching contribution your employer may make to your 401(k).
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Take fuller advantage of the benefits on offer from your employer: Combined, these potentially can save you a lot of money (e.g., tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, plus subsidies or discounts for everything from legal help, financial coaching and therapy to gym memberships, travel, commuting and free flu shots). Make it as easy as possible to pay off your credit card debt: Look for a balance-transfer card that offers you an initial 0% rate for up to 21 months, then make a plan to pay off all or most of what you owe in that period of time before a high rate kicks in again. Wherever you find yourself financially at the moment, there is no shortage of ways to boost your financial health if you focus on what’s in your control. The reasons cited for not feeling secure today included high inflation (63%) the economic environment (48%) insufficient emergency savings (42%) insufficient retirement savings (41%) rising interest rates (36%) low pay or low career mobility (33%) high debt (26%) and housing affordability (25%). In Bankrate’s survey 72% of respondents said they did not currently feel financially secure, although 46% said they expect to someday. The same goes if you’re feeling insecure about your economic prospects.
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How to save and invest for the life you want Plus, a big income isn’t necessarily a guarantee of financial security if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, not saving much and carrying big debts. What it takes for one person to feel financially comfortable – or like they’re set for life – can depend a lot on their early childhood experiences with money, how much they perceive those around them to have, their current financial situation, the cost of living in their area and, if they’ve thought about it, what is most important to them in life.

Of course, there is no objective or “right” answer to these questions. Just for comparison’s sake, the median earnings for a full-time, year-round worker in 2021 was $56,473, according to the US Census Bureau. More than 2,500 US adults said they would need to earn, on average, $233,000 a year to feel financially secure and $483,000 annually to feel rich or to attain financial freedom, according to a new survey from Bankrate.

They are age-old questions: How much do you need to feel financially secure? How much would you need to feel rich?
