Walletshare

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Pandemic Shifts Financial Behaviors and Conversations

Tue, 06 April 2021 | pandemic affluent

Concerned about threats to financial success outside of their control, 46% of affluent Americans have been getting their financial lives in order during the last year, according to a recent study from Bank of America. The research also found that, despite challenges imposed by the pandemic, most survey respondents believe they are on track to reach several financial milestones earlier in life than their parents.

The Bank of America Preferred Insights: Hindsight is 20/20 Personal Finance Report explores more than 2,000 affluent¹ Americans’ financial decisions and r... Read More

Sun Belt Tops Moving Destinations

Tue, 06 April 2021 | housing

The pandemic has upended the meaning of home and prompted many of us to rethink how and where we want to live. A new Zillow survey finds more than 1 in 10 Americans (11%) say they have already moved in the past year -- by choice or by circumstance -- contributing to the Great Reshuffling, and millions of additional households could enter the real estate market as a result of the pandemic.

Moving remains challenging, but it can bring more opportunity now than ever before, thanks in part to the rise of remote work. That inspired Zillow to publish its first ever Mover Report, a d... Read More

FICO® Scores Increased Amid Pandemic

Mon, 05 April 2021 | consumers

According to Experian research, the average FICO® Score hit a record high of 710 last year, a seven point increase from 2019. Several factors may have contributed to this improvement; the recent survey revealed almost a quarter of respondents checked their score more often than before the start of the pandemic, while many consumers surveyed (29%) took steps to prepare for a recession such as cutting back on spending, which remained consistent with those surveyed one year ago (at 32%). Respondents also paid off debt, with fewer carrying credit card balances (a decrease of 13%) and student... Read More

Many Americans Still Lack Critical Financial Knowledge

Mon, 05 April 2021 | consumers

Twenty-two percent of U.S. adults report they are unable to pay their bills in full and on time in a typical month, and 30 percent would not be able to cover an unexpected $2,000 expense, according to new data from the fifth annual Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) released by the TIAA Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) at the George Washington University School of Business.

Results from the P-Fin Index indicate that a significant portion of American adults still s... Read More

Indicators Point To Strong Job Growth Ahead

Mon, 05 April 2021 | economy

On the heels of last week's strong job report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), The Conference Board reported strong gains in it's Employment Trends Index^TM(ETI), up almost 8 percent compared to a year ago.

On Friday, the BLS reported total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 916,000 in March, and the unemployment rate edged down to 6.0 percent. These improvements in the labor market reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Job growth was widespread in March, led by gains in lei... Read More

One-Fourth Of Consumers Lack An Emergency Financial Plan

Thu, 01 April 2021 | financial planning demographics

No one would disagree that the recent pandemic has profoundly affected life as we know it, both from a personal and financial perspective. ScoreSense's study of over 1,000 consumers concerning preparing for emergencies revealed that, as people scramble to make ends meet, more than 6 in 10 consumers are happy with their emergency financial preparations, despite the results of those preparations.

The survey asked respondents about their financial preparedness for recent and future emergencies. Its findings include: