For generations, workers have been fed the promise that six-figure salaries come with luxe lifestyles, career prestige, and financial freedom. However, even high earners are feeling the pinch in a global cost-of-living crisis\u2014and a six-figure salary no longer buys the peace of mind it once did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Nearly seven in 10 Americans earning over $135,000 annually aren\u2019t financially fulfilled, according to new Gallup research from financial services firm Edward Jones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even 77% of those bringing home $135,000 to $174,999 and 63% of those earning over $175,000 aren\u2019t satisfied with their financial situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And money morale has been dropping across the board: About 55% of Americans say their finances are getting worse, following a multiyear trend. Around 83% of professionals overall\u2014accounting for about 216 million Americans\u2014report experiencing financial stress, strain, or uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why the wealthy are stressed about finances: \u2018money dysmorphia\u2019 and a lack of control<\/h2>\n
\u201cFinancial fulfillment is not just defined by income and net worth,\u201d Ashley Agnew, a certified financial therapist and behavioral scientist at Edward Jones, tells Fortune.<\/em> \u201cIt\u2019s about combining the security it provides with personal alignment and a feeling of control that leads to a confident relationship with money.\u201d<\/p>\nFinances often float to the top of people\u2019s biggest concerns, leaving room for anxiety to creep in. Around 36% of people have felt stressed when thinking about their finances within the past 30 days, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And despite being ahead of the curve, even young high earners are worried; around 71% of millennials and 67% of Gen Zers earning six-figure salaries are stressed about their finances. The widespread strain has become so dire that one in five workers earning $135,000 or more feels \u201cdepressed\u201d when thinking about their money at large.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They may sit atop a cushy income almost double the national average of around $66,000, but lifestyle creep and constant comparisons are warping how they see their paychecks. As it turns out, \u201cmoney dysmorphia\u201d might be the problem: having a perception about their money that does not match their actual financial reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIncome and age do not fully explain financial fulfillment,\u201d the report explains. \u201cEven within similar demographic groups, adults differ in how manageable their finances feel, how much control they have and whether money is helping them move toward the life they want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social media and lifestyle creep are to blame for six-figure earners with \u2018money dysmorphia\u2019\u00a0<\/h2>\n
For many six-figure earners, the problem isn\u2019t necessarily how much is in their bank account\u2014it\u2019s how they perceive what they can do with it. Agnew explains that insecurity, harmful comparison habits, and past trauma around scarcity can all play a factor in why six-figure earners can feel \u201cdepressed\u201d or anxious about their finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese factors are woven into our financial DNA,\u201d the behavioral scientist says. \u201cEarly money lessons like \u2018A penny saved is a penny earned\u2019 may live in the memory of a millionaire as guilt about spending. Conversely, a message like \u2018You can\u2019t take it with you\u2019 for someone who witnessed their parents living paycheck to paycheck might feel guilty about saying no to a trip with friends\u2014even if it\u2019s beyond their budget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social media is also a pressure cooker for financial stress. Just a five-minute scroll on their TikTok or Instagram feeds, and young workers are bound to see others their age boast high-flying lifestyles. And Agnew says that millennials and Gen Zers who grew up in the digital era are especially susceptible; online shopping, push notifications, and social media all contribute to \u201cremoving a person from their reality.\u201d Agnew explains that comparison can become a \u201cslippery slope\u201d in accurately assessing one\u2019s own finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs status becomes more visual, what was once the goal now seems like the standard of success,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
Plus, the veneer of six-figure salaries has cracked. The financial therapist explains that years ago, a family of four could be satisfied living off of a single income of $125,000 annually\u2014now, it\u2019s nearly impossible to live comfortably doing the same. Rising childcare, housing, food, and medical costs have chipped away at disposable income. And the new threshold to live financially free is skyrocketing, thanks to lifestyle inflation. Even 41% of American workers making between $300,001 and $500,000\u2014and 40% of those reeling in over $500,000\u2014say they\u2019re living paycheck to paycheck, according to a 2025 report from Goldman Sachs.<\/p>\n
So while young high earners think they may have \u201cmade it\u201d by crossing the $100,000 mark, they\u2019ll still be chasing an aspirational lifestyle that\u2019s no longer within their budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe six-figure income is no longer the holy grail in many areas of our country,\u201d Agnew says. \u201cEarning $100K to $200K often doesn\u2019t cut it to meet typical \u2018rites of passage\u2019 goals like home ownership or a wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#making #135K #highearners #feel #depressed #thinking #finances<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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