Northwestern Mutual's 18th annual Planning &amp; Progress Study finds half of adults in America now saying they feel financially secure &ndash; an increase from 44% last year. Over half also consider themselves to be 'disciplined' financial planners. Even optimism around homeownership is on the rise.
But at the same time, a sizeable number of Americans &ndash; particularly young adults &ndash; are investing in or are considering investing in high-risk/speculative assets such as prediction markets, sports betting, and cryptocurrencies. Among those using or considering these financial instruments, 73% say they're doing so because they feel financially behind and think those investments offer a faster path to their goals than traditional methods. And among Gen Z, the number is 80%.
These are some of the first findings from Northwestern Mutual's newly released <a href="https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4634763-1&amp;h=185263915&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.northwesternmutual.com%2Fplanning-and-progress-study-2026&amp;a=2026+Planning+%26+Progress+Study" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">2026 Planning &amp; Progress Study</a>, the company's proprietary research series that explores Americans' attitudes, behaviors, and perspectives across a broad set of issues impacting their long-term financial security.The number of Americans who say they're financially secure went up across every generation, with the largest year-over-year gains coming from Millennials and Gen X.Among Americans with a financial advisor, 71% said they felt financially secure while just 10% did not feel financially secure.
Financial discipline improved too. The number of Americans who consider themselves to be 'disciplined' financial planners hit a high of 65% in 2020, during Covid. Four years later it fell to a record low of 45% in 2024. Now it is on a two-year upward trend. <a href="https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4634763-1&amp;h=386097218&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D4440207-1%26h%3D3721718819%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.northwesternmutual.com%252F%26a%3DNorthwestern%2BMutual&amp;a=Northwestern+Mutual" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Northwestern Mutual</a>&#8239;has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;of&nbsp;its&#8239;<a href="https://edge.prnewswire.com/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4634763-1&amp;h=4288033981&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fc212.net%2Fc%2Flink%2F%3Ft%3D0%26l%3Den%26o%3D4440207-1%26h%3D180409562%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.northwesternmutual.com%252Ffind-a-financial-advisor%252F%26a%3Dfinancial%2Bprofessionals&amp;a=financial+professionals" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">financial professionals</a>&#8239;with&#8239;a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for&nbsp;what's&nbsp;most important. With more than&#8239;$780&nbsp;billion&#8239;of total assets1&nbsp;managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than&#8239;$40 billion&nbsp;in revenues, and&#8239;$2.5 trillion&#8239;worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life insurance, disability income insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 109 on the 2025&#8239;FORTUNE&#8239;500 and was recognized by&#8239;FORTUNE&reg;&#8239;as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in&nbsp;2026.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM),&#8239;Milwaukee, WI&#8239;(life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company&reg; (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise&nbsp;disclose&nbsp;their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.&#8239;&nbsp;&nbsp;
1&nbsp;Includes&nbsp;investments and separate account assets of Northwestern Mutual as well as retail investment assets held or managed&nbsp;for&nbsp;clients.

Polk County

Des Moines Metropolitan Area

Des Moines

Iowa

Americans' Finances are Improving - But Some...

Northwestern Mutual's 18th annual Planning & Progress Study finds half of adults in America now saying they feel financially secure – an increase...

Americans' Finances are Improving - But Some Still Feel Behind and are Turning to Prediction Markets

Johnston

Ankeny

Urbandale

West Des Moines

Dallas County

Waukee

Story County

Ames

Black Hawk County

Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area

Cedar Falls

Johnson County

Iowa City

Linn County

Marion

Douglas County

Omaha Metropolitan Area

Omaha

Nebraska

Squirrel girl tree care

We r climbers, we also have a towable lift. We specialize in large hard to reach trees even if there's a shed under it in the way backyard. We use roping techniques  to safely bring tree limbs down with out all the holes in the yard...we prive ourselves in our clean up and customer communication...best prices in town we work within your budget! Free quotes

We r climbers, we also have a towable lift. We specialize in large hard to reach trees even if there's a shed under it in the way backyard. We use...

We specialize in large hard to reach trees. We r climbers and use roping techniques to safely bring the tree down without damaging ur property or lawn ..we strive in excellent clean up .mulching/chipping , leaf clean up , spring cleaning, gardening, pruning, trimming, planting and removals plus stump grinding too all at an affordable price. We work with u to make sure u sleep well at night without worry of ur trees! Free quotes text address and details to 515 897-9342  id love to work for u! I'm nuts over trees for u!

We specialize in large hard to reach trees. We r climbers and use roping techniques to safely bring the tree down without damaging ur property or...

🌱 Patch AM: What this new ER lawsuit could mean...

Also check out Doggy Easter Egg Hunt on the Des Moines Patch calendar

🌱 Patch AM: What this new ER lawsuit could mean for Des Moines patients

Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What investigators say happened...

🌱 Patch AM: What investigators say happened inside that southeast Des Moines apartment

🌱 Patch AM: How a Des Moines-backed bill could...

Spotted on the Des Moines calendar: Doggy Easter Egg Hunt

🌱 Patch AM: How a Des Moines-backed bill could slash IVF costs for families

🌱 Patch AM: How a Des Moines company really...

Coming up: 🎸 The Floozies on the Des Moines Patch calendar

🌱 Patch AM: How a Des Moines company really turns big climate promises into action

🌱 Patch AM: How two Des Moines home explosions...

Coming up: Lab Meetup on the Des Moines Patch calendar

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Discover more in Des Moines

Find and sell treasures, hire and offer services. All in your community

Des Moines, IA|Local Classified|Announcement|Mar 20

Americans' Finances are Improving - But Some Still Feel Behind and are Turning to Prediction Markets

Squirrel girl tree care

Squirrel girl tree care