What’s Your Anxiety Index?

Marketplace - a finance-based radio presence on American Public Media (think NPR) - and Edison Research collaborated on a financial metric. They call it the Anxiety Index. It’s brand new, born circa fall 2015. So how does it work?

The Anxiety Index is based on mind-numbing poll questions about personal finance. What did it most recently find? Economic stress didn’t move beyond or below 31 across a range of demographics. Anxiety is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. The higher the number, the more stressed.

Per the Marketplace website:

Why didn't the number budge? Because Americans continue to feel anxious about their economic situation and feel worried about meeting monthly expenses.

Indexround2

The folks on the radio were much more specific. The question they touched on was 26A from the poll:

Suppose you were faced with an unexpected expense of one thousand dollars, how difficult would it be to pay that expense? Would it be…? (emphasis added)

Of 1,012 people polled, 58% of it said they would find it very difficult or somewhat difficult (26% and 32%, respective.) 42% said it would not be difficult at all.

We are part of that 42%.

I cannot stress how important that $1,000 has been to our family. It’s the first thing to get replenished if we touch it. We no longer live paycheck to paycheck thanks to that $1,000. We no longer depend on credit cards thanks to that $1,000. And it is not difficult at all to meet those $1,000 expenses because of that $1,000.

How anxious are you? Take the poll. Then save, save, save!

ROE INTENSE

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