Turbulent finances clouds Americans’ outlook for 2026, retirement confidence weakens

Almost half of American adults say they feel more financially stressed as they approach 2026 compared with how they felt at the start of this year.

A new survey from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement reveals a rise in anxiety with 48% of adults who participated reporting that stress about their money situation has increased over the past year, up from 43% in the prior survey cycle.

When asked what is driving that pressure, respondents most often cited everyday financial demands with more than half pointed to routine expenses as their top stressor, followed by insufficient income, a lack of emergency savings, debt burdens and rising health care costs. Job security concerns also ranked high and showed notable growth compared with a year earlier.

While 56% say they plan to look for a new job or continue searching in 2026, many are opting for stability. Among those not planning a job change, 71% said staying put feels safer amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Retirement confidence slips

Financial strain is also affecting long-term planning with more than a quarter of respondents saying they feel less confident about achieving their retirement goals than they did a year ago, with Gen X and Gen Z showing the steepest declines in confidence. Roughly one in five Americans believe they have fallen further behind on retirement progress over the past year.

“When feeling financially stressed, long-term goals like retirement can be the easiest to sideline because you don’t feel it in your day-to-day life,” says Kelly LaVigne, VP of consumer insights at Allianz Life. “But achieving long-term financial security takes time and you may be better off consistently working toward retirement incrementally than trying to wait until you can devote a larger part of your budget to the goal.”

READ: Nearly half of workers peg retirement target at $1M as anxiety climbs

Despite the sour mood around finances, many Americans remain motivated to improve with almost half of those surveyed stating that they are likely to make - and stick with - a 2026 resolution focused on saving more or managing money better, ranking it just behind health-related resolutions. Millennials and Gen Z were the most inclined to prioritize financial goals.

At the same time, respondents acknowledged lingering bad habits. About a third admitted to overspending on nonessentials, while others said they are not saving enough, not saving at all, or failing to make meaningful progress on paying down debt.