Younger Americans, especially those 34 and under, as well as African-American respondents are more likely to struggle with paying bills, the survey showed. Forty-six percent of African Americans indicated that they have been late with a mortgage payment and 40 percent of young Americans said the same. Only 14 percent of white Americans, 14 percent of Asians and 21 percent of Hispanics have been late with their mortgage payment.
Furthermore, 35 percent of African-Americans and 28 percent of those between 18 and 34 have borrowed from their retirement account, compared with 14 percent of whites, 10 percent Asians and 17 percent of Hispanics. Additionally, 34 percent of African-Americans took a hardship withdrawal from their retirement account compared with 26 percent of young Americans, 10 percent of whites, 10 percent of Asians and 13 percent of Hispanics.
Not surprisingly, the survey noted that income and education are correlated with the ability to make ends meet. Those with higher incomes or college degrees are more likely than those with lower incomes or no college degree to have no difficulty covering their monthly expenses. Also, men are more likely than women to have an easier time making ends meet.
Among other key findings are:
• More than half of Americans (54 percent) have not tried to determine what they need to save for retirement, and only 58 percent of Americans have a retirement account.
• Nearly half (47 percent) of Americans with student loans wish they had chosen a less expensive college. Among those with student debt, a similar percentage (48 percent) is concerned they will not be able to pay off their loans, and many did not fully understand what they were getting into when they got their loans.
• Americans who have participated in a substantial amount of financial education are more likely to save and less likely to overdraw their checking accounts.
• And only 34 percent of respondents could answer at least four of five basic financial literacy questions on topics such as mortgages, interest rates, inflation and risk — compared to 42 percent in 2009. This drop in scores appeared most pronounced among younger Americans ages 18 to 34, who have had little exposure to high interest rates or inflation as adults, the survey said.