Remember when having a good job meant you were set? Yeah, those days are gone. According to TruStage’s massive 2026 “What Matters Now” study—which surveyed over 8,800 Americans in partnership with Ipsos—the American Dream has essentially shattered into a thousand different pieces, and what those pieces look like depends entirely on who you are, how old you are, and where you’re starting from.
Here’s the headline that should make us all pause: Nearly half of Americans (46 percent, up from 39 percent just four years ago) now believe that a regular salary simply isn’t enough anymore. You’ve got to hustle. You’ve got to have a side gig. You’ve got to find creative ways to make ends meet. The 9-to-5 alone? Not cutting it.
Your American Dream Isn’t My American Dream
The study asked people to define their version of the American Dream from 22 different options, and the results read like a choose-your-own-adventure book where everyone picked a different path.
The top three dreams overall? Having enough money to retire comfortably (35 percent), being completely debt-free (34 percent), and being able to provide for your family (also 34 percent). Notice a pattern? Financial stability isn’t just nice to have anymore—it’s the whole ballgame.
But dig deeper and the differences get fascinating:
- Baby Boomers are laser-focused on stability. More than half (51 percent) want to be debt-free, and 44 percent prioritize having emergency savings. They’ve seen enough economic rollercoasters to know what matters.
- Younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) are dreaming about homeownership—30 percent and 28 percent respectively. In a world where scrolling through real estate apps feels like window shopping at Tiffany’s, this makes perfect sense.
- Race and ethnicity shift priorities too. Hispanic consumers most value providing for family (40 percent). Asian consumers focus heavily on retirement comfort (39 percent). White non-Hispanic respondents prioritize retirement (38 percent) and being debt-free (36 percent).
“Behind these findings are real people doing everything they can to build a good life for themselves, their families and their future. And for many, it still doesn’t feel like enough,” said Terrance Williams, President and CEO of TruStage. He’s not wrong.
Neurodivergent Americans Face a Steeper Climb
Here’s a finding that deserves way more attention: The 21 percent of consumers who identify as neurodivergent are carrying significantly heavier financial stress than their neurotypical peers—despite earning similar incomes and actually having higher employment rates.
Let that sink in. They’re working. They’re earning. And yet, 34 percent feel anxious about their financial situation compared to just 22 percent of neurotypical respondents. Nearly half (46 percent) worry about losing their jobs, versus 34 percent of their peers.
The neurodivergent population in this study skews young (75 percent are Gen Z or Millennials) and diverse, with the highest representation among multiracial (40 percent) and non-binary (39 percent) respondents. They’re also remarkably entrepreneurial—30 percent own a business, almost double the rate of neurotypical peers. But that entrepreneurial spirit comes with less satisfaction and trust in traditional financial institutions.
Welcome to the Hustle Economy (Population: Everyone)
That 46 percent figure about needing to hustle beyond your salary? It’s not distributed evenly. Some groups feel this pressure far more intensely:
- 58 percent of Black consumers
- 52 percent of Millennials
- 50 percent of women
- 50 percent of BIPOC consumers overall
And it’s not just talk. These same groups—BIPOC and Millennial consumers—are the most likely to say they’d lean on a side hustle or secondary job if their primary income took a hit. Business ownership is highest among Multiracial consumers (36 percent), Black consumers (31 percent), and Gen Z (26 percent).
The side hustle isn’t a fun weekend project anymore. For millions of Americans, it’s become part of the financial survival toolkit.
The Old Financial Guard Is Facing a Challenge
Traditional banks and financial institutions might want to pay attention here, because the ground is shifting beneath them.
Credit unions still win on satisfaction and trust (sitting pretty at 77 percent), but fintech platforms and digital payment services are making serious moves. Money and payment services have jumped from just 2 percent to 12 percent of all primary financial institution relationships. Fintech has grown from 13 percent to 17 percent.
Meanwhile, satisfaction gaps are widening in concerning ways. Overall satisfaction might be steady, but look at underserved communities and the picture changes:
- Neurodivergent consumers report 56 percent satisfaction (compared to 68 percent for neurotypical consumers)
- LGBTQIA+ satisfaction sits at 54 percent
- Non-binary satisfaction is at just 32 percent
On top of that, 40 percent of consumers now want one institution to handle all their financial needs (up from 28 percent in 2022), and social media plus AI are increasingly influencing how people research and choose financial products.
“This research shows that financial security is shaped by individual circumstances, responsibilities and lived experiences,” Williams noted. “That’s why it’s so important to meet people where they are and show up with solutions designed to create brighter financial futures.”
The Bottom Line
Fewer than half of Americans feel they’re better off than their parents were. The American Dream hasn’t disappeared—it’s just fractured into dozens of different dreams, each shaped by generation, identity, race, and personal circumstance. Middle-market households are getting squeezed from every angle: cost of living, retirement savings, debt, and the nagging feeling that no matter how hard they work, it’s still not quite enough.
Financial institutions that understand this reality—really understand it, with empathy and without the corporate speak—and create simple, affordable solutions tailored to these diverse needs will be the ones that matter in the years ahead. Because right now, the old playbook isn’t working for a whole lot of people.