‘I’ll never have enough’: Why Americans feel broke despite making smart financial decisions
A new Intuit Credit Karma/Harris Poll study finds 78% of Americans don't feel financially secure — and doing everything right is not enough.
Most Americans believe they’ve made smart financial decisions, but doing the “right thing” doesn’t always feel like enough. Many believe that even if financial success exists on paper, it doesn’t guarantee that it will translate to comfort in real life.
According to the study, conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Intuit Credit Karma among 2,081 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, 70% of Americans feel they have made smart financial decisions for themselves up until this point, yet 68% say that having a positive financial standing on paper is not enough to ensure a comfortable lifestyle. In this article, Intuit Credit Karma examines the data and why many Americans don't feel financially secure.
Key takeaways: Why Americans feel like they will never have enough money
- 78% of Americans say they don't feel financially secure. Even though 70% believe they've made smart financial decisions, 68% say that having a positive financial standing on paper is not enough to ensure a comfortable lifestyle.
- 59% of Gen Z (ages 18-29) and 58% of Gen X (ages 46-61) feel financially insecure compared to their peers — but likely for different reasons: 40% of Gen X are living paycheck to paycheck and 36% say their income as not kept up with inflation, while 26% of Gen Z say they are unable to keep up with bills/payments, and report job instability.
- 43% of Americans believe they'll never have enough money to achieve the American Dream, rising to more than half (56%) of Gen Z.
- 37% of Americans have given up on long-term savings to prioritize spending on short-term purchases and experiences, increasing to nearly half (49%) of Gen Z.
Why most Americans don’t feel financially secure today
More than 3 in 4 Americans (78%) report that they do not feel financially secure. The top culprit is the rising cost of living (47%), followed by the current state of the economy (42%).
Put simply, everyday life has gotten more expensive, and incomes are not keeping up. These costs show up in three main ways: costs rising faster than income, little to no savings cushion, and unstable or unpredictable income. For example, when it comes to factors that make Americans feel they are not financially secure:
- 31% say it's because their income has not kept up with inflation, including 36% of Gen X.
- 31% say it's because they are living paycheck to paycheck, including 40% of Gen X and 38% of Gen Z.
- 28% say it's because they are unable to put money into savings, including 37% of Gen X.
- 19% say it's because they are unable to keep up with bills/payments, including 26% of Gen Z.
- 16% say it's because of job instability, including 26% of Gen Z.
Comparison is the thief of joy for many, as more than half of Americans (51%) say they don’t feel as financially secure as other people their age, including 59% of Gen Z and 58% of Gen X. Additionally, more than one-third of Gen Z (34%) point to comparing themselves to others on social media as to why they don’t feel financially secure.
Why the American Dream feels out of reach for many Americans
For many decades, financial success followed a familiar script: Get a job with a steady income, buy a home and eventually retirement will follow.
Today, that script feels increasingly unrealistic for 43% of Americans who feel they will never have enough money to achieve the American Dream (i.e., achieving financial success, such as owning a home or supporting a family through hard work), climbing to 56% of Gen Z and 57% of renters.
Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (72%) share that certain aspects of their financial standing make them feel like they will never have enough money to achieve the American Dream. The biggest factors come down to three things: income not keeping up with rising costs of living, not being able to save after paying for essentials, and long-term financial pressure like retirement or debt.
For example:
- 31% say their income has not caught up with the rising cost of living, rising to 41% among those with a household under $50,000 annually, and including 36% of Gen Z and 34% of Gen X.
- 24% say they are not saving enough for retirement, rising to 32% of Gen X.
- 23% say they are struggling to save money after covering monthly expenses.
- 21% say they are struggling to afford necessities (e.g. rent/mortgage, food, utilities), including 29% of Gen Z.
- 19% point to the amount of debt they have, including 23% of Gen Z.
- 17% say their income is unpredictable.
The reliance on financial support adds another layer to the picture, with more than a third of Americans (36%) admitting they receive financial support from someone else (excluding a significant other), most commonly from parents (22%). Among Gen Z, 69% receive financial support, and 53% receive it from their parents.
Why financial goals are falling out of reach
Among Americans who have financial goals, more than three quarters (76%) feel there are certain financial goals they will never be able to afford despite how much they’ve saved or how hard they’ve worked.
The goals most commonly described as out of reach:
- Taking a dream vacation — 30%
- Retiring by 65 — 28%, rising to 43% of Gen X
- Buying a home — 26%, rising to 40% of Gen Z
- Paying off debt — 25%, rising to 34% of Gen X
Of those who feel they will never be able to afford certain financial goals, 44% have accepted they will need to compromise on what they want (e.g. buying a smaller home or cheaper car, having a smaller wedding), while 33% have concluded that achieving their goals simply will not be possible. Less than a quarter (23%) say they are not willing to compromise on their goals and will do whatever it takes to achieve them.
Among Americans who have financial goals, 78% say they're willing to take extreme measures to achieve them. Half (50%) are prepared to reduce non-essential spending (e.g. eating out, entertainment), 26% would delay retirement — including 34% of Gen X — and 25% would take on a second job or work multiple jobs.
Why Americans are prioritizing bills over saving for the future
Nearly half of Americans (46%) say paying bills and covering necessities, (e.g. rent/mortgage, food, utilities) is among their top priorities for money allocation, including 55% of those with a household income under $50,000 and 52% of Gen X.
Building savings comes in second at 43%, but that priority drops to just 33% among those with a household income of less than $50,000, where there's likely little room left over after necessities are covered.
Most stark is that 37% of Americans have given up on long-term savings altogether in order to prioritize short-term purchase and experiences, rising to 49% among Gen Z.
What to do if you feel financially insecure or behind financially
If you’re wondering what to do when you feel financially insecure or like you’ll never have enough money, these steps can help you regain a sense of control over day-to-day money decisions.
- Build a budget around your reality, not your goals: Before allocating money toward savings or paying down debt, track what you're actually spending for 30 days. It's easy to underestimate regular expenses, which can make planning feel useless. Tracking your expenses can help you understand your spending habits better — e.g. how your month-to-month spending compares, including your top spend categories.
- Prioritize high-interest debt first: If debt is contributing to your sense of financial insecurity, focus any extra dollars on paying down your highest-interest balances first.
- Reframe the American Dream: If homeownership or retiring at a desired time no longer feel attainable, set new and meaningful goals rather than chasing a one-size-fits-all definition of success. Adjusting your goals is not the same as giving up on them.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Intuit Credit Karma from March 24-26, 2026 among 2,081 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
This story was produced by Intuit Credit Karma and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
