5 Signs High-Income Americans Are Feeling the Squeeze

Some people in U.S. households with annual income over $150,000 feel broke, too. Analysts at Assurance IQ, Prudential Financial's financial wellness subsidiary, uncovered those Americans' financial frailty in January, when they commissioned an online survey of 5,000 people. The full sample included 790 participants from high-income households, according to a full version of the results made available to ThinkAdvisor. The high-income participants were better off than the lower-income households, but 14% strongly agreed that they lack access to healthy food options where they live, and 11% strongly agreed that they are not able to get the medical care they need where they live. About 20% said they had avoided seeking medical care in the past year because they were not sure if they could afford the care. The financial pressure may affect those people's ability to buy everything from life insurance to 529 plans. About 50% of the high-income participants said they had taken extreme steps in the past year to cope with their bills. See the accompanying gallery for a look at five of those steps. Credit: Shutterstock