Key Points
- Goldman Sachs found 36.6% of Americans earning above $500,000 live paycheck to paycheck, a higher share than people earning $50,000 to $100,000.
- Paycheck-to-paycheck rates bottom out at 22.2% for the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket. Goldman links the climb above that level to rising lifestyle expectations.
- Only 39% of workers increased their retirement savings in 2026, down from 55% in 2025.
More than a third of Americans earning above $500,000 a year say they live paycheck to paycheck, according to the Goldman Sachs Asset Management 2026 Retirement Survey and Insights Report. The exact figure is 36.6%, higher than the 34.0% reported by people earning $50,000 to $100,000.
Goldman surveyed 5,106 Americans in July 2026, including 3,612 workers and 1,494 retirees. The survey defined paycheck to paycheck as struggling to save and make progress on long-term goals, the exact gap a working monthly budget is meant to close.
You can see some of the highlights here:
Financial Strain By Income: Goldman Sachs 2026 Retirement Survey
IncomeLive Paycheck To PaycheckPay Card Minimum Or LessDelayed A Financial Goal
Less Than $50K60.8%47%78%
$50K To $100K34.0%40%65%
$100K To $200K22.2%36%54%
$200K To $300K24.9%30%52%
$300K To $500K34.2%38%72%
Above $500K36.6%46%80%
Source: Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The College Investor.
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Why It Matters
Financial security in the survey follows a U-shaped curve instead of rising with pay. The paycheck-to-paycheck share bottoms out at 22.2% for the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket, then climbs with every bracket above it.
The top bracket shows strain on other measures too. Some 46% of people earning above $500,000 pay only the credit card minimum payment or less each month, nearly matching the 47% of those under $50,000. Goldman did not publish how many respondents fell into each income bracket.
Why Do High Earners Feel Strained?
Goldman points to lifestyle inflation, not trouble paying for the basics. The report cites “higher lifestyle expectations” and “larger fixed commitments” as the pressures behind top-earner strain, with expectations that “often outpace a rising income.”
I’ve seen this pattern firsthand, and it is “Keeping up with the Joneses” in its purest form. Once families pass a certain income, private school tuition, bigger travel budgets, and more expensive cars become fixed costs that are hard to walk back.
Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast recently featured a household with $11 million in assets that still lives month to month, which highlights this exact situation.
The Numbers Behind The Headline
The report had a lot of interesting stats:
- 80% of $500,000-plus earners have delayed a major financial goal, and 45% have delayed retirement savings, the highest share of any bracket.
- 69% of top earners say money worries make it hard to focus at work, versus 44% at $200,000 to $300,000.
- 55% of the top bracket are likely to look for a new job within 12 months to improve their finances.
- Only 39% of workers increased retirement savings this year, down from 55% in 2025.
- Gen Z leads on extra work, with 80% having done gig or side work and 76% of them saying they needed the money. Our list of 54 side hustle ideas covers the most common options.
- 51% of respondents have used AI tools for retirement or financial planning.
How This Connects
Housing costs and day-to-day living expenses tied for the top obstacle to retirement saving at 31% each, with debt payments close behind at 27%. Debt remains a drag for younger workers, which is why many grads use side hustles to attack student loan debt.
Workers ranked maximizing company benefits as the second most wanted type of help at 31%, and the easiest win there is to capture the full employer 401(k) match. Goldman also cites a 3.9% personal saving rate, which leaves most households with a thin cushion.
The College Investor’s breakdown of how much emergency savings you need is a good starting point.
What’s Next
Goldman is using the findings to push personalized advice, guaranteed income options, and private market investments inside 401(k) plans.
Savers should check the 2026 IRA and 401(k) contribution limits and raise their deferral rate before year-end.
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
Robert has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, and Forbes, where he has been a regular personal finance contributor for over a decade. His work combines both professional expertise and personal experience – he successfully navigated his own student loan repayment journey and has helped thousands of readers do the same.
He is committed to making the intersection of personal finance and education transparent and accessible. You can learn more about Robert on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
