Some 42% of $200,000 Earners Avoid Checking Their Bank Accounts Due To Stress — And Half Say They'd Need Double Their Income To Feel Secure
To bridge the gap, many high earners lean on workarounds that used to be associated with people making far less. Three-quarters of six-figure earners have put everyday bills on a credit card in the past three months because they ran out of cash, not to chase rewards. That rises to 80% among those earning $200,000 or more. Nearly half of the $200,000 group say they rely on credit cards to make ends meet, and 45% say buy now, pay later has become a regular part of how they spend their money.
The coping strategies go beyond plastic. Among six-figure earners, 61% are either already working a side hustle or planning to, and sizable shares report selling personal items, cutting back on medical care, or even skipping meals to keep up with expenses. In the same survey, 62% say it feels nearly impossible to keep up with expenses on one income.
Rising prices have not helped. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that consumer prices have climbed roughly 23% since 2019, which means a paycheck that once covered a comfortable lifestyle now has to stretch much farther just to stand still. For households whose costs are concentrated in housing, healthcare, childcare and debt, those inflation years are still echoing.
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That leads to the real question: how much would it take for these high earners to finally feel secure instead of stressed every time they glance at a balance.
Harris asked that directly. Half of six-figure earners say a household needs at least $200,000 a year to feel comfortably middle class where they live. Among those already earning $200,000 or more, 75% say the same. Even more striking, 53% of six-figure earners say they would not feel financially secure unless they earned double what they make now, a view that is shared by 53% of the $200,000 group and 55% of all Americans.
In other words, plenty of people already earning $200,000 think they would only breathe easy closer to $400,000. Six-figure salaries were once the finish line. In this survey they look more like mile markers on a moving track, where even the people near the front are still glancing over their shoulders, hoping the next notification is not another bill.
For anyone in that camp, talking with a financial advisor can take some of the drama out of those numbers. A good advisor can help high earners sort out where the money is actually going, build a plan for debt, saving and investing, and pressure-test what "secure" really looks like for their household. It won't fix rising prices or rewrite a paycheck, but it can turn vague dread into a clearer map, which is often the first step toward feeling less anxious every time the banking app lights up.
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