Are You Part of the 28%?

I have run across a statistic several times in the past week or so, that only 28 percent of people in America are financially healthy. This per the inaugural U.S. Financial Health Pulse survey completed by the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI).

It seems to be another self-appointed “think tank” about finances that really just tries to push you into using a financial planner, but because it was done in partnership with the AARP, an organization that millions of people, myself included, find value in, I take it a bit more seriously.

I skimmed the study as I often do rather than simply reading someone else’s summary and found some interesting things.

Such as:

• Only 28% of people in America are considered financially healthy;
• Nearly half of people in America, 47%, spent more than or equal to their income in the past twelve months;
• More than a third of people, 36%, are unable to pay all of their bills on time;
• Nearly one out of five Americans, 17%, are considered financially vulnerable and almost half of those individuals, 45%, have less than one week’s worth of expenses saved; and
• Nearly a third of Americans, 30%, say they have more debt than is manageable.
• 42% have no retirement savings…