Jul 25, 2026
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Add us on GooglePeople rarely go broke overnight. It usually happens gradually, as a string of financial decisions that each seemed fine on their own pile up until they can’t be ignored anymore. Even high earners aren’t immune.
A Harris Poll in November 2025 found that a third of Americans earning $100,000 or more describe themselves as financially distressed, and 64% now consider a six-figure income “survival mode” rather than a sign of wealth. Three-quarters had used a credit card recently because they’d run out of cash, and more than half said they’d need to double their income just to feel secure.
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Only 55% of six-figure earners call themselves financially comfortable — the other 43% are just coping, according to YouGov Profiles data.
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In other words, you can’t out earn bad spending habits. And if you’re saying “yes” to any of the things listed below, you’re probably on a path to financial insecurity.
1. Giving too much financial help to friends and family
Helping friends and family with their financial struggles feels noble, but it can quickly derail your own finances. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say “no” to your loved ones.
Nearly six in 10 parents admit to providing some financial assistance to their adult children, according to Pew Research.
Moreover, according to a 2025 survey by JG Wentworth, 53% of adults say they have lent money to either a friend or family member at least once, and 48.3% would ask a family member for money with no expectation to pay it back.
Put simply, lending money to your loved ones is nearly on par with tossing cash into a black hole. That’s not to say you should refuse all requests for financial help. However, if you’re saying “yes” too often, you’re putting yourself in a financially vulnerable position.
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2. Saying yes to every social invitation
The costs of dining out, attending concerts and going on vacation have increased rapidly in recent years. U.S. adults currently spend $2,841 per year on restaurant and takeout meals, according to CNET, while the average household spends $3,568 a year on entertainment, according to Ramsey Solutions. Add in occasional expenses like birthdays and anniversaries, and you can see why an active social life is an expensive luxury.
You don’t need to abandon all opportunities to socialize and live like a recluse, but occasionally saying “no” could help you accumulate meaningful savings over time.
3. Taking on high-interest credit and loans
High-income individuals have greater access to credit, and many of them take full advantage of this.
According to a 2025 survey by PYMNTS, high-earning shoppers are 40% more likely to rely on buy-now-pay-later programs than their lower-earning peers. And, according to BHG Financial, 62% of individuals earning more than $300,000 a year are struggling with credit card debt.
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If you’re in this cohort, resist the temptation to max out all the credit available to you. Accumulating multiple monthly interest payments can quickly drain even a high six-figure salary.
4. Letting lifestyle creep swallow every raise
Lifestyle creep happens when your spending rises at the same rate as your paycheck, so a bigger salary never actually translates into more savings.
It’s more common at the top of the income ladder. A 2025 Goldman Sachs Asset Management retirement survey found that 40% of workers earning more than $300,000 a year say they live paycheck to paycheck — which is close to the 36% of workers earning $50,000 to $100,000 who say the same.
Lifestyle upgrades don’t feel like a bad idea in the moment. A bigger apartment, a new car, a few more takeout dinners — each one is affordable on its own. The problem is that none of them get revisited once the raise is old news, so the lifestyle keeps growing to match, or exceed, whatever comes in.
There’s an easy way to prevent this. When a raise or bonus lands, decide in advance what share of it goes into savings or investments before it reaches your checking account. Routing even half of every increase this way keeps your lifestyle growing slower than your income, instead of at the same pace.
5. Buying homes you can’t afford
Buying a home, especially if it’s your first, is an emotionally-charged decision. And because emotions are running high, it’s easy to buy a home that is either too big or too expensive for your budget.
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Nearly three-quarters of first-time home buyers and 65% of overall home buyers had some regrets about their purchase, claims Clever Real Estate.
According to the St. Louis-based real estate technology company, more than half of first-time homebuyers felt financially over their head, while 38% of overall buyers said they exceeded their initial budget for the home.
Housing costs are usually the biggest line item on a typical household’s budget, and overspending on them can have long-term implications for your financial security. Avoid regret by sticking to a strict budget and some financial guardrails.
For instance, you could limit your home search to properties that are less than four times your annual income and monthly payments that are less than a third of your monthly paycheck.
None of this means high earners can’t enjoy their money — the point is that income alone doesn’t buy security. Each of these habits looks harmless in isolation. It’s the pattern that gets expensive. Track where your “yeses” are actually going, and a six-figure salary has a much better shot at feeling like one.
— with files from Dawn Cuthbertson
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Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
