Everyday Wealth in America
The 2024 Report
For the third year in a row, Edelman Financial Engines explores the intersection of life and money, revealing new insights into Americans’ attitudes on a wide range of wealth-related topics—and how they effect our financial and emotional well-being.
Perception of Wealth
Am I wealthy?
12 % believe they are wealthy, a consistent figure the last 3 years
How much do Americans need to feel wealthy?
65% say
$1M+
28% say
$2M+
Wealth Concerns
This is what’s keeping people up at night
Top 3 concerns for Americans
86%
Current political environmentUp from 80% in 2023
86%
InflationUp from 84% in 2023
82%
Global conflicts and crisisUp from 77% in 2023
Obstacles to building wealth
Debt is a threat:
Credit card woes inhibit wealth creation
44%
say credit card debt is the biggest barrier to building wealth
49%
carry a debt on their cards each month
40%
owe $10,000 or more
A different Vision
This is not your grandparents’ retirement
37 % want a retirement that looks different from previous generations
The top 3 types of retirement Americans want
42%
want something more active
39%
want something more adventurous
37%
want to pursue passion projects
1in3
say they will never be able to “fully” retire
The Value of a Professional
Where do I go for help?
74%
say they stress less about money and finances because they work with a financial professional
63%
say they wish they had started with a financial professional sooner
Dive Deeper
Explore additional insights from Everyday Wealth in America 2024.
See the Press ReleaseMedia Contact:
PRTeam@EdelmanFinancialEngines.comInterested in previous year’s reports?
The 2024 Everyday Wealth in America research was conducted for Edelman Financial Engines by Greenwald Research. Information was gathered through an online survey from June 12 to July 3, 2024, of 3,008 Americans who were at least 30 years old. The total sample also includes an oversample of 1,500 affluent Americans between 45 and 70 of age, with household assets between $500K and $3M, and who are open to or currently working with a financial professional. Data is weighted to correct for the oversample and is also weighted by household assets, age, gender, race, and education to reflect the broader national population. If this study were a random survey, it would have a margin of error (at the 95% confidence level), of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. References to year-over-year comparison or prior results represent comparisons to the 2022 and 2023 Everyday Wealth in America studies. The 2023 study surveyed 2,022 Americans from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2023. The 2022 study surveyed 2,011 Americans from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7, 2022.
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