What’s really worrying older homeowners — and who feels it most
“The topline inflation number is important, but I think the more revealing story is what sits underneath it,” Mayer said.
“The financial pressure we’re seeing among older homeowners isn’t uniform. When you dig into the data, you see that confidence looks very different depending on household income, and women are reporting greater concern than men across several financial pressures. That matters because the averages only tell us so much. If we want to understand how older homeowners are really feeling about their financial security and retirement, we have to understand who is feeling confident and who is facing more uncertainty right now.”
Read more: Treasury yields climb to multi-decade highs amid inflation fears
Income gap reveals widest split in retirement confidence
Among homeowners 55 and older earning $100,000 or more annually, 76% report confidence in their long-term financial security, compared with 58% for those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 and just 39% for those earning under $50,000, a 37-percentage-point gap.
The disparity is sharpest around leisure and travel in retirement: 79% of higher earners expressed confidence in affording such expenses, against 36% of those in the lowest income bracket, a 43-point difference.
