Americans head into 2024 resolved to achieve two perennial financial goals: saving more money and paying down credit card debt. Yet they do so this year with a firm optimism about their personal finances despite high prices and interest rates.
The top four resolutions for Americans heading into 2024, according to a survey by USA TODAY Blueprint, are saving for: a rainy-day fund, retirement, their kids’ education and a big purchase. Paying down credit card debt rounds out the top five items on Amercians’ wish list.
Undergirding those resolutions is a more buoyant consumer than is often described in the popular press. To wit: 40% of Americans are very optimistic about their finances, while another four in ten are somewhat so.
Other key findings
- Almost 88% of all respondents say financial health impacts their overall happiness. This slants even harder for younger Americans; 97% of Gen Z and 90% of Millennials agree that financial health impacts their overall health.
- Americans rate financial health goals as more important than both physical and mental health ones.
- America’s biggest financial fears for 2024: an economic recession, inflation and higher interest rates.
The top priority for Americans (56% of respondents) heading into 2024 is to bolster their rainy-day fund, followed by saving for retirement (53%) and their child’s schooling (52%).
While these goals have always been something of a cliche, they’re especially…
