{"id":903,"date":"2026-06-07T11:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T11:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=903"},"modified":"2026-06-07T11:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T11:38:14","slug":"high-earning-millennials-and-gen-zers-feel-broke-and-conflicted-i-make-a-good-salary-i-shouldnt-be-struggling-this-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=903","title":{"rendered":"High-earning millennials and Gen Zers feel broke and conflicted: \u2018I make a good salary, I shouldn\u2019t be struggling this much\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s \u201cthe sound of the waiter bringing the bill at your favorite restaurant while you\u2019re mentally calculating whether you can still afford your friend\u2019s wedding next month,\u201d said Nia Baiyeroju, a Gen Z money coach and founder of Nia Knows Finance, told Fortune<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Read more SpaceX and other mega IPOs may wait years to join the S&P 500<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a phenomenon that\u2019s become widespread. Survey results from 5,075 U.S. adults aged 21 and older, published in a new\u00a0study\u00a0this week by Edward Jones and Gallup, show that\u00a0<\/span>just 16% of Americans feel financially fulfilled. Meanwhile, 83% (roughly 216 million people, according to the study) report financial stress, strain, or uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The majority of those stressed Americans, 51%, fall into what the study calls a \u201cconflicted\u201d middle, meaning they\u2019re not in crisis, but not confident about their finances, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinancial stress isn\u2019t limited to people in crisis\u2014it\u2019s affecting millions who appear stable but don\u2019t feel secure or fulfilled,\u201d Edward Jones managing partner Penny Pennington (recognized on Fortune<\/em>\u2019s 2026 Most Powerful Women list) said in the report.<\/p>\n

Gallup CEO Jon Clifton also noted in the study that, for the fifth consecutive year, more Americans say their finances are getting worse rather than better. Other data from Bank of America has shown even households earning more than\u00a0$150,000 are living paycheck to paycheck, and\u00a0lifestyle creep is dragging down\u00a0people who make half a million dollars.<\/p>\n

The overall trend in the Edward Jones data is that financial strain appears even when the numbers look fine on paper.<\/p>\n

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\u2018An emotion before it\u2019s ever a number\u2019<\/h2>\n

The people Baiyeroju describes as feeling financially insecure aren\u2019t behind on bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re saving, staying out of debt, doing the right things, but still feeling insecure because they\u2019re carrying this low-grade anxiety they can\u2019t shake,\u201d she said. The telltale phrases, she said, are things like: \u201cI make a good salary, I shouldn\u2019t be struggling this much,\u201d or \u201ceveryone my age has it together, why don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s because \u201cfinancial security is an emotion before it\u2019s ever a number,\u201d Baiyeroju said. \u201cIf you grew up watching your parents stress about bills, your nervous system doesn\u2019t automatically update when your bank account does.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, financial therapist for Cash App and Afterpay, sees the same pattern.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cA healthy bank account doesn\u2019t automatically erase a lifetime of worrying about money,\u201d she told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For her clients, this financial stress is often internal, riddled with thoughts of \u201cheavy with \u2018shoulds\u2019 and shame,\u201d she said. It can also look like telling oneself that you don\u2019t deserve to go out to dinner, or obsessing over a shopping cart filled with items you can actually afford but don\u2019t feel like you should buy.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s practical to practice some self-control with discretionary spending, being overly anxious about finances can also have its drawbacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIronically, the safety of having that money gets completely canceled out by the fear of actually touching it,\u201d Bryan-Podvin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Retiring at 62 costs the average American $250,000. Here\u2019s the math (and the neuroscience) that explain why<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Edward Jones study also shows how damaging that practice can be. More than half of financially stressed Americans say their finances \u201coften\u201d or \u201calways\u201d control their lives, compared with just 2% of the fulfilled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone is stuck in that loop, I ask them to get curious,\u201d Bryan-Podvin said. \u201cHow true is it that a casual night out will wreck your financial future?\u201d<\/p>\n

Only 18% of the stressed describe themselves as thriving, versus 83% of fulfilled adults, who also report better relationships and stronger mental and physical health, regardless of income.<\/p>\n

To work on this anxiety, Bryan-Podvin said she practices some affirmations with her clients such as: \u201cI\u2019ve got a healthy savings cushion. It\u2019s safe for me to spend this money, and it\u2019s important for me to have a nice time with my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The money dysmorphia effect<\/h2>\n

One of the main contributing factors to financial anxiety is comparing oneself to others, which is especially rampant due to social media.<\/p>\n

This phenomenon is called \u201cmoney dysmorphia,\u201d or a distorted view of one\u2019s own finances, and has become so common among young adults; 2024 Intuit Credit Karma data shows nearly half of Gen Zers and millennials feel financially behind despite many having above-average savings.<\/p>\n

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Baiyeroju said she sees money dysmorphia \u201cconstantly\u201d and affects even high-income earners. The rich feel broke because \u201ctheir entire [social media] feed is people buying second homes, flying first class, and buying designer.\u201d Then other people feel so far behind \u201cthey just stop trying, overspending to cope because saving feels pointless anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be sure, Bryan-Podvin said social media is \u201conly a part of the problem.\u201d Low self-worth, perfectionism, depression, and anxiety all feed money dysmorphia, she said. Still, she suggested muting anyone on your feed who makes you feel bad about your money.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s such a simple way to take back control,\u201d she added. \u201cYou stop comparing your day-to-day life to someone else\u2019s heavily filtered reality, and you have the breathing room to actually focus on your own journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Different generations, same fear<\/h2>\n

While financial anxiety cuts across age groups, it can show up differently.<\/p>\n

Gen Z is asking, \u201cWill I ever be able to afford a house?\u201d Baiyeroju said, while millennials juggle student loans and growing families, and older generations wonder whether what they\u2019ve saved will last through retirement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent questions, different seasons of life, but the anxiety underneath is the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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To address financial insecurity, the Edward Jones report highlights practical steps such as budgeting, saving, and reducing debt. And for Baiyeroju, the fix starts with defining what enough actually means.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a math problem,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s a clarity problem. More money doesn\u2019t fix it, understanding what you\u2019re building toward does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Oil drilling rises in longest U.S. streak since 2022 on price bump<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just 16% of U.S. adults say they feel financially fulfilled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-finance"],"yoast_head":"\nHigh-earning millennials and Gen Zers feel broke and conflicted: \u2018I make a good salary, I shouldn\u2019t be struggling this much\u2019 - Cross Country Moving Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=903\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"High-earning millennials and Gen Zers feel broke and conflicted: \u2018I make a good salary, I shouldn\u2019t be struggling this much\u2019 - 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