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More income means more stability, right? It might not be that simple. A recent study by Goldman Sachs found that a higher income isn’t necessarily a guarantee of more financial resilience.

The 2025 edition of their annual Retirement Survey and Insights Report found a surprising U-curve in people’s self-assessment of financial distress and income (1). Simply put, nearly the same percentage of high-income Americans said they were living paycheck to paycheck as their low-income counterparts. On average, middle-income Americans said they felt the most financial stability.

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The data underscores an important lesson: Income is just one of many factors that determines how financially stable you feel — but understanding all the other factors could improve your chances of success, regardless of how much money you make.

Here’s a closer look at the findings of the report, and how you might protect yourself from feeling like you’re living paycheck to paycheck.

Middle-class Americans felt they had the most financial stability, according to the Goldman Sachs report. Only 16% of those earning $200,000 to $300,000 a year said they were living paycheck to paycheck, the lowest of any income cohort.

More than half (56%) of this cohort also said they were able to make steady progress on both short- and long-term financial goals, the highest of any income group.

By comparison, low- and high-income individuals shared similar levels of financial strain, albeit for different reasons.

According to the report, the majority (57%) of Americans earning less than $50,000 a year said they are living paycheck to paycheck. The rising cost of basic needs, from groceries to shelter, is particularly brutal for this vulnerable group.

However, high-income individuals are not immune to a similar struggle with their personal finances. A whopping 41% of those earning $300,000 to $500,000 a year said they were living paycheck to paycheck.

As the report says, this illustrates “the impact of lifestyle creep” and “the phenomenon of luxuries becoming necessities to certain income cohorts.” In other words, if you’re earning an extraordinary income, you’re tempted to live an extraordinary lifestyle. Often, the latter can outweigh the former.

To cover the gap between their lifestyle and income, some affluent Americans even turn to debt, making matters worse. In 2025, roughly 20% of high-income consumers were worried about making timely debt payments, as Kathy Steinberg, a vice president at The Harris Poll, told CNBC.

Such struggles are often rooted in the debt-to-income ratio rather than income alone.

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Keeping a close eye on your debts is always a good idea to ensure that lifestyle creep doesn’t get the better of you. However, if your debt burden is starting to overshadow your assets and income, one way to mitigate the issue is to consolidate all your debts.

That’s where platforms like Credible can help you replace your credit card balances and auto loans with a single personal loan.

Through Credible's online marketplace, finding the right loan becomes much simpler. Credible lets you comparison-shop for the lowest interest rates with just a few clicks. In less than three minutes, you’ll see all the lenders willing to help pay off your credit cards or other debts with one loan.

If you owe a substantial amount, you may also want to see if you qualify for a debt relief program to help clear a significant portion of your debt.

With Freedom Debt Relief, you can speak with a certified debt relief consultant for free, who can show you how much you can save by partnering with them.

With that in mind, tightening your grip on debt could boost your financial security, but there are other ways to build more resilience.

Building financial security takes time, consistent effort and an airtight plan. But you don’t have to build up your safety net all alone. Hiring an experienced financial planner or investment advisor can help you get to your financial targets with confidence.

In fact, a 2025 Gallup survey found that 54% of people who earned more than $90,000 a year relied on financial professionals to manage their money, compared to just 39% for those earning between $48,000 and $90,000 a year, and only 20% of those earning less than $48,000 a year (3).

In other words, the middle-class Americans with the most financial stability were also more likely to lean on professional advice to manage their finances. So, if you’re looking to improve your financial situation and build greater resilience, hiring an expert could go a long way.

With Vanguard, you can connect with a personal advisor who can help assess how you’re doing so far and make sure you’ve got the right portfolio to meet your goals on time.

Vanguard’s hybrid advisory system combines advice from professional advisors and automated portfolio management to make sure your investments are working to achieve your financial goals.

All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire about your financial goals, and Vanguard’s advisors will help you set a tailored plan, and stick to it.

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Goldman Sachs (1); CNBC (2); Gallup (3)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.