The financial lives Americans lead are as diverse as the communities in which they live.
In a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults, Prudential Financial found that Americans are disproportionately impacted by financial inequality based on race, gender, sexual orientation and caregiver status.
The report, entitled “The Cut – Exploring Financial Wellness Within Diverse Populations,” focuses on the financial lives of women, black Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, caregivers and the LGBTQ community.
Prudential found that bright spots and areas of optimism exist within traditionally underserved demographic groups in the face of income inequality, retirement, insecurity and household debt, despite many of these group being disproportionately impacted by the 2008 financial crisis.
“This new analysis…exposes factors that underlie and sometimes impede our ability to achieve financial security,” said Judy Dougherty, Prudential’s financial wellness officer.
Prudential found a wide range of outcomes, experiences and attitudes among traditionally underserved communities.
By significant margins, black Americans at all income levels are more likely than the general population to prioritize helping others financially, such as taking care of parents or other family members, providing college tuition for their children, helping children with a down payment on a home, leaving an inheritance to their heirs and giving to charity.
Men continue to outdistance women’s earning power. The average annual income for women in the survey was $52,521, compared with $84,005 for men.
Women reported earning about 63 cents for every dollar earned by men, even though 54 percent of women described themselves as the primary breadwinner in their household.
America’s caregivers see a less secure financial future for themselves, according to the study: 38 percent of caregivers surveyed do not think they will ever be able to retire versus only 25 percent of non-caregivers.