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Even America\u2019s highest earners are feeling financially stuck.<\/p>\n
More than a third of people making over $300,000 say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management\u2019s recent 2026 retirement report.<\/a> Goldman Sachs based the research on a July 2026 survey of 5,106 U.S. adults, including both retirees and people who were still working.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the more remarkable findings is whether or not financial security improves linearly with income,\u201d Chris Ceder, a senior retirement strategist at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, recently told Yahoo Finance<\/a>.<\/p>\n The survey found that financial strain does not decline as pay rises. Instead, Goldman Sachs found a U-shaped pattern. Americans earning between $100,000 and $300,000 reported feeling less financially stretched than both lower-income workers and those making more than $300,000.<\/p>\n That same divide appears in other measures of financial health, including making retirement contributions and relying on minimum credit-card payments, Ceder said.<\/p>\n Data from credit cards illustrates the trend. About 40% of workers earning under $100,000 said they pay only the minimum on their cards, or less. That share falls to 35% among those earning $100,000 to $300,000, then rises to 42% among people earning more than $300,000.<\/p>\n The pressure is especially visible among the country\u2019s highest earners. Nearly half of respondents making at least $500,000 said they made only the minimum payment on a credit card this year, up from 39% a year earlier, according to Goldman Sachs\u2019 retirement trends survey. That finding challenges the assumption that a larger paycheck automatically creates more financial flexibility.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously a big difference between what it means to have an income of $50,000 and below versus $300,000-plus,\u201d Ceder said. \u201cBut in terms of how it is manifesting in financial strain, there certainly are some parallels.\u201d<\/p>\n For households earning less than $100,000, 42% reported they are living paycheck to paycheck. More than two-thirds of respondents at that income level said they had postponed a financial milestone, like hitting a goal on their retirement savings.<\/p>\n However, high-income respondents reported a similarly fragile sense of financial security. Of people earning more than $300,000, 36% said they were living paycheck to paycheck, and more than two-thirds said they had delayed a financial goal.<\/p>\n By contrast, 23% of those earning between $100,000 and $300,000 described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck.\u00a0<\/p>\n Across all income groups, nearly 70% of Americans surveyed said they had recently put off a major financial goal.<\/p>\n The Goldman Sachs survey does not suggest that a household earning $500,000 faces the same material hardship as one earning $50,000. Instead, it shows that financial stress can surface across income brackets.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor generations, the retirement security formula was straightforward: Work consistently, save diligently, and security would follow,\u201d the report said. \u201cWhile workers may look financially stable externally, underneath, they\u2019re working more, delaying major goals and supplementing their income.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Even America\u2019s highest earners are feeling financially stuck.<\/p>\n More than a third of people making over $300,000 say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management\u2019s recent 2026 retirement report.<\/a> Goldman Sachs based the research on a July 2026 survey of 5,106 U.S. adults, including both retirees and people who were still working.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the more remarkable findings is whether or not financial security improves linearly with income,\u201d Chris Ceder, a senior retirement strategist at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, recently told Yahoo Finance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nParallels between incomes of $50,000 and $300,000<\/h2>\n
Fragile financial security<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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