CNBC's Invest in You and SurveyMonkey's recent survey shows Americans are saving more than during the pandemic. However, some Americans are spending more out of sheer boredom. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: [ Ссылка ]
From jobs to savings to retirement plans, the coronavirus pandemic has upended many Americans’ financial lives.
While millions are still unemployed and many have seen their emergency savings run dry, it isn’t all necessarily negative. Many are saving more and spending less.
In fact of those surveyed in a new CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey, 46% said they are “more of a saver now” compared to before the pandemic.
Additionally, 60% consider themselves “savers,” up from 54% last year. The poll, conducted by SurveyMonkey Aug. 13-20, surveyed 5,401 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of +/-2%.
About half, or 49%, said their monthly spending has decreased, compared to 33% last year.
Some of those savings can be attributed to the fact that people stayed home and didn’t do things like dining out, said personal finance expert Jean Chatzky, co-founder of HerMoney.
“We learned how to go to the grocery store not every day, but once a week, which meant meal planning and shopping with a list and those are fabulous money-saving skills,” she said. “We learned which of our subscription services we actually watch and which ones we don’t.”
Winnie Sun, managing director of Sun Group Wealth Partners in Irvine, California, said she has clients who are spending less money. That, in turn, has them feeling a sense of urgency. Her firm’s client meeting schedule is up substantially since the pandemic began.
“We have seen an uptick in an interest in investing,” said Sun, a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council. “They are seeing their checking accounts getting larger and they think that money is not earning enough for them.”
Millennial Stacey Kelly is one of those savers. The Los Angeles-based content producer has managed to save about $800 to $1,000 every month since the pandemic began.
“I didn’t realize how much money, especially in L.A., that I was spending on food and on my hair,” she said. “Once the pandemic hit, I had to start cooking for myself and doing my hair myself.”
As an African-American, Kelly said her hair is a big part of her identity. So she went to the salon every week for a wash and blow dry. She also used to eat out often, go shopping and buy Starbucks coffee. While she managed to save money by having a set amount automatically transferred into a savings account, she was dipping into it every month for living expenses.
“I literally sat down one day and went through all my finances and made a spreadsheet,” Kelly said. “I got to really see the numbers and I was shocked.”
» Subscribe to CNBC TV: [ Ссылка ]
» Subscribe to CNBC: [ Ссылка ]
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: [ Ссылка ]
Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide.
Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
For info on the best credit cards go to CNBC Select:
[ Ссылка ]
#CNBC
#CNBCTV
