Survey shows skepticism about improved personal finances

More than half doubt things will shift from ’19

If you doubt your financial situation is going to improve in 2020, you’re not alone.

More than half of U.S. adults are skeptical that their personal finances will get better this year, according to a new survey of 2,634 adults from financial website Bankrate.com.

Among that group, 41% say their finances will mirror what they were in 2019, and 16% say they will get worse.

“Those not expecting their finances to improve this year are far more likely to say it’s because they’ll stay the same ... rather than deteriorate,” says Greg McBride, Bankrate.com’s chief financial analyst. “That’s consistent with an environment where unemployment is low and people are seeing pay increases.”

Wages brighten outlook for some

Higher wages are a key reason why 43% of Americans say their personal financial forecast should improve this year.

Among those expecting improvement, 49% cite heftier paychecks. Forty-two percent say they will get a boost because they expect to carry less debt.

Among millennials in their mid 20s to late 30s, 56% expect their personal finances to get a boost in the new year; 44% of people 40 to 55 say the same. Thirty-one percent of baby boomers, ages 56 to 74, are as hopeful.

Fifty-eight percent of millennials and 51% of Generation Xers say higher income will bolster their pocketbooks; 54% of older Americans say their finances will get better because they’ll owe less.

Goal-oriented

Whatever their outlook, 83% of those surveyed say they have at least one financial objective they want to reach this year.

Reducing debt is No. 1, cited by 22% of those polled. Sixteen percent intend to budget better, and 12% want to build up their rainy day funds.

“It’s not just our waistlines that Americans want to shape up in the new year,” McBride says, “but personal finances rank right up there. The beginning of the year represents that fresh start. People want to get serious about things like paying down debt, saving more, or spending more sensibly.”