A Money Survey Sorted Workers Into Doers, Coasters and Anxious Achievers

Ask workers what matters most to their confidence about money, and retirement doesn’t come first. In a new survey by Voya Financial, people ranked having enough to cover a surprise $2,500 expense above every other goal measured. Those goals included retirement readiness, paying down debt and enjoying their current lifestyle.¹

That ranking reflects what people said matters to their confidence. It is not a measure of what they actually do with their money. It comes from Voya’s first America’s Financial Confidence Index, released Oct. 14, 2026.¹ Voya sells workplace retirement and financial wellness services, so this is company-sponsored research. The findings so far appear only in Voya’s own announcement and reprints of it.¹³

Voya’s main finding is about habits. Workers who actively use financial education offered through their jobs scored 71 out of 100 on money behaviors, compared with 59 for those who don’t.¹ Voya says that group outscored every other group it measured, including the wealthiest workers surveyed. The release doesn’t break the numbers down by income.¹

That is a link, not proof that the classes cause better habits. People who seek out money education may already be more engaged with their finances. Voya’s view that the workplace is the strongest link is the company’s interpretation, not a tested result.¹

Who was surveyed

Voya surveyed 4,097 employed Americans aged 25 to 64 who are eligible for benefits and take part in a workplace retirement plan. The survey ran from June 22 to July 5, 2026.¹ That makes it a snapshot of people who already have a plan at work, not all US workers. The results don’t speak for gig workers, the unemployed or people without a workplace plan. The release doesn’t name a polling firm, margin of error or weighting method.¹

Feeling ready versus acting ready

On average, workers scored 67 out of 100 on financial confidence but 62 on the behaviors needed to reach their goals. Voya calls that five-point difference a “confidence gap.”¹² The index scores six areas: managing everyday finances, protecting against risk, preparing for unexpected expenses, enjoying life today, reducing debt and building long-term security. Each person’s score is weighted by the goals that matter most to them.¹

“Confidence only matters when it’s backed by action,” Jay Kaduson, CEO of Workplace Solutions at Voya Financial, said in the company’s announcement.¹

The gap gets wider further out. Some 66% of workers feel confident they can create a retirement plan, but only 45% feel confident they’ll achieve long-term financial security.¹

Voya sorted respondents into three groups with names that sound like rival bowling teams. Confident Doers (66%) score high on both confidence and action. Comfortable Coasters (25%) feel confident but take fewer steps. Anxious Achievers (10%) do many of the right things without feeling sure of themselves.¹ The shares add up to 101%, likely because of rounding.

Workers are also more hopeful about themselves than about the economy. Only 38% expect good economic conditions over the next 12 months, while 43% think their own situation will improve.¹ Money stress is common: 35% say they are always or often stressed about money, and 70% of those under financial stress say it hurts their confidence.¹

What the survey points to

• Workplace money education. People who used it reported stronger habits, 71 versus 59 on behaviors, in this group of plan participants.¹
• A financial professional. Workers who work with one scored 69 on behaviors, compared with 57 for those who don’t. Again, that is a correlation, not a measured effect.¹³
• A small emergency cushion. Covering a surprise $2,500 bill topped the list of what workers said matters most to their confidence.¹

Voya also reports that 94% of people who went through its financial wellness program said they had taken or planned to take steps to improve their finances. That number comes from a separate internal feedback survey of about 26,000 responses collected from May 2019 to September 2025, and it reflects what people said after the program, not later outcomes.¹ The release also promotes Voya’s own “Guided Confidence” education platform as a way to make such tools available regardless of income or assets.¹

“The workplace is one of the most powerful places to help people build financial security,” Kaduson said in the announcement. As one company’s first reading on the question, the index is a single data point. Within it, the plan participants who used money education at work tended to have stronger habits.¹