62% of workers face serious financial anxieties

NEW YORK, December 4, 2024 — Betterment at Work released the fourth installment of its annual survey on the state of retirement readiness and financial benefits across the U.S. workforce.

Betterment's 2024 Retirement Readiness Report, which examines data from 1,000 full-time U.S. workers, found that while many employees feel a strong sense of long-term “retirement confidence,” anxiety around near-term finances is growing and impacting workplace productivity. Four-in-five respondents say it’s important that their employer provides them with strong financial benefits.

Key findings from Betterment at Work’s 2024 Retirement Readiness Report include:

Retirement confidence and savings are up, but there is still uncertainty:

79% state they have access to a 401(k), and 89% of those are contributing to it — up from 83% in 2023, and just 70% in 2022.

72% feel at least somewhat confident that they’ll be able to save enough to support themselves in retirement. However, 56% expect they’ll need at least $500k saved to retire comfortably, yet only 38% actually expect to have that much saved.

Financial anxiety is impacting workplace productivity:

62% report facing moderate to significant financial anxiety — with inflation (62%), credit card debt (34%), and housing costs (31%) ranking as the top three financial stressors.

66% of Gen Z and 57% of Millennials report that financial anxiety impacts their ability to work “all” or “most” of the time, compared to 41% of Gen X and 28% of Boomers.

Benefits are a key contributor to workplace engagement: 

 57% say they would be enticed to leave their job if a prospective employer offered better benefits than their current employer.

Workers at smaller companies (61%) would be more likely to jump ship for better financial benefits, compared to 58% and 53% of workers at midsize and large businesses.

Top financial benefits ranked most important to financial wellbeing: a 401(k) plan (70%), 401(k) matching program (66%), and employer-sponsored emergency fund (36%).

“Our survey highlights a critical gap: while employees feel hopeful about their long-term finances, short-term anxieties drive poor decision-making and reduce productivity at work,” said Sarah Levy, CEO of Betterment. “Employers are positioned to close this gap with benefits and education that equip employees to manage financial challenges and foster financial confidence.”

Read or download the full report here.

Methodology

An online survey was conducted with a panel of potential respondents from August 24, 2024 to August 30, 2024. The survey was completed by a total of 1,000 respondents who are 18 years and older, and full-time employees. The sample was provided by Sago, a research panel company. All respondents were invited to take the survey via an email invitation. Panel respondents were incentivized to participate via the panel’s established points program, regardless of positive or negative feedback. Participants were not required to be Betterment clients to participate. Findings and analysis are presented for informational purposes only and are not intended to be investment advice, nor is this indicative of client sentiment or experience.