Friday, April 3, 2026

Pandemic Spurred U.S. Workers to Reevaluate Life and Finances

Mon, 11 October 2021  |  retirement 

The last 18 months have had a significant impact on businesses, the economy and society — and nearly eight in ten U.S. workers are reevaluating what is important in life, including finances, their career and retirement, according to Lincoln Financial Group’s 2021 Retirement Power® study.

People participating in an employer-sponsored retirement plan are especially motivated — more than two out of three (69%) say they intend to save more in their retirement plan. Participants are not the only people looking to invest in their futures, though, as nearly half of tho... Read More

US Shoppers Start Holiday Shopping Early, But Is It Soon Enough?

Mon, 04 October 2021  |  retail economy 

A new survey from Klarna, a global retail bank, finds that forty percent of consumers are starting their holiday shopping earlier than they did last year. Based on surveys of more than 24,000 US shoppers and Klarna's proprietary shopping data from its 20 million consumers nationwide, the report also found that 71% of shoppers plan to begin purchasing holiday gifts before December and 22% have already started.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of shoppers cite a desire to take advantage of holiday sales as the main reason for getting a headstart on their gift purchasing this year. Howev... Read More

Inflation Tops Healthcare As Biggest Financial Fear Among Retirees

Thu, 09 September 2021  |  retirement 

More than three-quarters (77%) of retirees and near-retirees cite declining purchasing power as a major concern, and that's greater than the share concerned about the cost of healthcare (74%), according to a new poll released today by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and industry-leading digital wealth management company, Personal Capital, an Empower Company.

Rounding out respondents' top five financial concerns about the future were the financial strength of Social Security (71%) and Medicare (67%), and the possibility of an impending recession (62%). The national poll ... Read More

Consumers Financial Confidence Is Up

Wed, 08 September 2021  |  consumers 

As the U.S. continues to make its way through the pandemic, a majority (51%) of Americans believe they are making real financial progress. However, trends from BMO's Real Financial Progress Index, a quarterly measurement of consumer sentiment about money, point to increases in consumer confidence potentially leading to negative behaviors that could undo consumers' financial progress. These findings are from the latest BMO Real Financial Progress Index, conducted by Ipsos. The national survey sampled adults aged 18+ in the U.S. from July 13 to Aug. 2.

Ov... Read More

Americans Reduce Their Personal Debt 20 Percent

Wed, 25 August 2021  |  economy 

The latest findings from Northwestern Mutual's 2021 Planning & Progress Study show that among U.S. adults aged 18+ who carry debt, they hold an average of $23,325 excluding mortgages. This represents a downward trend of over 20% since 2019.

Average Amount of Debt Per Year (exclusive of mortgages):

"The fact that people are making significant progress to decrease their debt is encouraging to see, especially at a time when many are still recovering from the financial impact and uncertainties prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic," s... Read More

Half of Americans Plan To Travel On Labor Day

Mon, 16 August 2021  |  recreation 

A new survey from The Vacationer (https://thevacationer.com/labor-day-travel-survey-2021/) shows 137 Million American adults (53%) plan to travel for Labor Day this year. Despite the increase in travel from the Fourth of July, 75% (194 million adults) say Covid-19 and the Delta variant is either a big concern or a slight concern when considering Labor Day plans.

The Vacationer polled 571 American adults over the age of 18 on August 1, 2021. Results were analyzed by The Vacationer's Eric Jones, who is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Rowan College South Jersey.

... Read More