Even High Earners Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck This Year, Goldman Sachs Survey Finds

Roughly 4 in 10 workers earning above $300,000 say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management's 2026 retirement report.
Chris Ceder, a senior retirement strategist at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told Yahoo Finance that financial security does not improve in a straight line with income. "It does for a while, but it's a U-shape pattern," Ceder said. Workers earning between $100,000 and $300,000 are less stretched, but the share living paycheck to paycheck rises again among those earning above $300,000.
The same pattern shows up in minimum credit card payments:
- About 4 in 10 workers earning under $100,000 are making only the minimum payment.
- That falls to 35% for those earning $100,000 to $300,000.
- It rises to 42% for those earning above $300,000.
- Nearly half of those earning $500,000 made minimum payments this year, up from 39% last year.
Ceder said a similar pattern appears in delaying financial goals and retirement savings. A substantial number of Americans earning under $100,000 also report living paycheck to paycheck and struggle to save or make progress toward long-term goals.