{"id":120238,"date":"2025-08-05T06:57:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T06:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/120238\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T06:57:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T06:57:19","slug":"americans-spend-nearly-4-hours-a-day-thinking-about-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/120238\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans spend nearly 4 hours a day thinking about money"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/84391986007-winnerslosers-2.png\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s budget bill will impact every aspect of the economy<\/p>\n<p>The budget bill just passed and signed into law will touch the lives of every American, one way or another. Will you be better or worse off?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Americans spend nearly four hours a day thinking about their finances, with many experiencing increased financial stress compared to last year.<\/li>\n<li>Top financial concerns include bills, inflation, housing costs, and debt, varying by generation.<\/li>\n<li>Younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, spend more time worrying about money and experience more sleep disruption due to financial concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Between bills to pay, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/news\/politics\/tariffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tariff news<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/07\/15\/inflation-accelerated-june-tariffs\/85198190007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inflation worries<\/a>, money is living rent-free in Americans\u2019 minds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re spending nearly four hours a day on average thinking about it, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.empower.com\/the-currency\/money\/money-on-the-mind-research\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new research from Empower<\/a>, a financial services company.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a part-time job,\u201d said Rebecca Rickert, head of communications and consumer insights at Empower.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At 54%, a little more than half of the 2,206 adults surveyed said they\u2019re thinking about it more than they did last year. In fact, the June survey found 53% of Americans said they\u2019re feeling financial stress &#8220;more acutely than ever,&#8221; including 62% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With banking and investment apps a tap away on their phones, 17% of Americans are checking their financial accounts multiple times a day, and 24% check their bank account daily.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The high level of surveillance is more common among younger generations: 24% of Gen Zers and 21% of millennials are looking at their accounts several times a day, compared with 10% of baby boomers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are checking their accounts like they check the weather,\u201d Rickert said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">More: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2025\/08\/01\/trump-tariffs-trade-talks-stock-market-updates\/85471521007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trump&#8217;s new tariffs slam trading partners, U.S. stock market: Live updates<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What exactly are Americans thinking about?<\/p>\n<p>Top of mind for most Americans is, of course, upcoming and due payments \u2013 57% of Americans report they\u2019re thinking about bills.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Inflation and rising prices also are taking up headspace for 51% of Americans. Of those surveyed, 34% are thinking about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/06\/24\/americas-housing-expensive-inaccessible-harvard-report\/83533083007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">housing costs<\/a>, 30% are thinking about debt, 28% are thinking about tariffs, and 24% are thinking about retirement savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are carrying more financial pressure as they face external factors that are beyond their control, like market uncertainty, while managing multiple priorities like debt, everyday expenses, and savings \u2013 even if their income hasn\u2019t changed,\u201d Lisa Frison, head of financial inclusion at Citi, told USA TODAY.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chief worries for younger generations are housing costs, job security and debt, Rickert said. Meanwhile, older generations are thinking about retirement savings and reserves, like their emergency cash.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Younger Americans spend more time worrying<\/p>\n<p>Time spent thinking about money varies by generation, and it appears to decline as Americans grow older.<\/p>\n<p>Gen Z spends the most time thinking about money, averaging 4.82 hours a day. Millennials follow close behind, averaging 4.73 hours a day. Money still weighs heavily on Gen Xers\u2019 and baby boomers\u2019 minds, but they aren\u2019t thinking as much about it: They average 3.74 hours and 2.4 hours a day, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jack Howard, head of financial wellness at Ally Financial, said Gen Zers are unique because they grew up having more information at their fingertips thanks to the internet and are \u201ccomparing themselves against the world\u201d thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2024\/12\/06\/toxic-social-media-the-excerpt\/76825954007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Which is good because we want you to get the information and use it. But I wonder if it\u2019s also creating an overload of anxiety,\u201d Howard said. \u201cSocial media creates some level of competition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When are Americans thinking about money?<\/p>\n<p>The topic is so stressful that 36% of Americans report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2024\/01\/29\/sleeping-trouble-tips-sleep-apnea-melatonin\/71271059007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">losing sleep<\/a> over their financial worries. Millennials may be getting the least rest: 44% report that money worries are keeping them up. Baby boomers are faring better at night; only 24% report it affects their sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Money concerns don\u2019t stop during the day. The survey found that 38% of respondents said financial worries interfered with their ability to focus and put a strain on their relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Gen Zers are most likely to think about money between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., while millennials and Gen Xers are often worrying about their finances before bed, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Is money stress motivating?<\/p>\n<p>Close to half of Americans report that thinking about money helps them take action to reach their long-term goals, and 47% said they feel confident they\u2019ll reach them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another 30% reported feeling neutral, or on the fence, about whether they\u2019ll reach their long-term goals. In the meantime, many Americans are seeking financial advice and information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More than half reported following financial news to stay informed, commonly researching topics including inflation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/04\/22\/how-to-make-a-budget\/83144634007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">budgeting<\/a> and saving. A third said talking with a financial adviser helps clarify their financial goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Still, Frison cautions people against ruminating over their finances and thinking too much about past mistakes or missed opportunities, which can lead to frustration but not solutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s unhelpful when thinking about money becomes an infinite loop, so the key is to shift from stress to structure, even with one small move,\u201d Frison told USA TODAY.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What helps ease financial pressure<\/p>\n<p>Asked what would ease their money worries, nearly half of the survey respondents said a higher income, and 45% said lower living expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But 29% also wished for \u201cbroader economic improvements,\u201d and 28% pointed to debt elimination. Nearly a quarter said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/04\/23\/how-build-emergency-fund-tips-grow-savings\/83144672007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a larger emergency fund<\/a> would help, and 18% said a detailed financial plan would have a positive impact.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose money is taking up more mental headspace than you&#8217;d like. In that case, Frison recommends doing a personal financial audit, building small habits over time, and asking friends, family or a professional for help.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen people are in a silo on these things, it makes it difficult to take action,\u201d Howard said. \u201cThat\u2019s where the shame comes in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She and Rickert emphasized the importance of people shifting from passive worrying to taking action \u2013 whether that\u2019s starting to pay down debt or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2025\/05\/02\/how-to-start-investing-for-retirement-401k\/83394174007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing to a 401(k)<\/a> \u2013 to better their financial situation and relieve stress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\">Reach Rachel Barber at <a href=\"mailto:rbarber@usatoday.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rbarber@usatoday.com<\/a> and follow her on X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/rachelbarber_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@rachelbarber_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s budget bill will impact every aspect of the economy The budget bill just passed and signed into&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":120239,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[691,931,64,79,458,2488,18217,39461,46267,46269,2487,3628,644,663,50,255,615,645,2490,646,67,132,68,56210,70049,3149,46268],"class_list":{"0":"post-120238","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-economy-news","13":"tag-enabled","14":"tag-financial","15":"tag-financial-planning-u0026-management","16":"tag-generation","17":"tag-generation-z","18":"tag-highlights","19":"tag-management","20":"tag-modular","21":"tag-modular-story","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-personal-finance","24":"tag-planning","25":"tag-story","26":"tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","27":"tag-u0026","28":"tag-united-states","29":"tag-unitedstates","30":"tag-us","31":"tag-well-being","32":"tag-well-being-and-wellness","33":"tag-wellness","34":"tag-z"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114974860562578938","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}