Americans Know How to Manage Money. Why Can't They Make Good Financial Practices Stick?

A new national survey from Beyond Finance found that while three in four Americans (75%) are confident in their budgeting and money management skills, nearly two-thirds (64%) admit they struggle to consistently follow through on the financial habits they already know they should be practicing. These findings suggest that lasting financial wellness depends on more than knowledge alone, highlighting a growing need for resources that help people overcome the behavioral and emotional barriers that keep good financial intentions from becoming lasting habits.

The Missing Link in Financial Wellness Isn't Knowledge — It's Behavior

Rather than pointing to a lack of financial education, respondents identified behavioral obstacles that make it difficult to stay on track. Thirty-five percent said they feel overwhelmed by their finances, while others cited difficulty staying consistent (29%), losing motivation (24%), decision fatigue (22%), avoiding financial issues altogether (21%), and feeling ashamed after previous financial mistakes (21%).

To help Americans address that challenge, Beyond Finance introduced its free Financial Wellness RESET™ Framework, Assessment and Curriculum, a clinically informed educational resource designed to help people better understand and shift the behavioral, emotional, and practical factors that shape their financial decisions. The framework launches amid historic financial pressure on American households. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, U.S. household debt reached a record $18.8 trillion in early 2026, including approximately $1.25 trillion in credit card balances. Household debt has increased by roughly $4.6 trillion since the end of 2019, while delinquency rates remain elevated. 

"America doesn't just have a financial literacy gap, it has a financial behavior gap," said Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™, chief financial wellness advisor at Beyond Finance and creator of the Financial Wellness RESET. "Most people already understand the basics of budgeting, saving, and managing debt. The real challenge begins when stress, overwhelm, shame, or everyday life get in the way of consistently putting those habits into practice. Financial Wellness RESET was built to bridge that gap by helping people understand not just what to do with their money, but why lasting financial change can be so difficult, and how to create habits that stick."

All The Apps and Spreadsheets In The World Won't Work Without Mindset Changes

The survey also found Americans have embraced virtually every major money management tool—from spreadsheets (28%) and budgeting apps (26%), to bank budgeting tools (26%) and handwritten expense tracking (24%). Yet respondents reported only modest improvements regardless of which tools they used, suggesting that tracking spending alone often isn't enough to drive meaningful behavioral change.

"The hardest part of money isn't math," added Dr. Rasure. "People aren't asking for another budgeting worksheet. They're asking how to stay motivated when life gets stressful, how to break unhealthy financial patterns, and how to stop feeling overwhelmed by money. That's exactly what Financial Wellness RESET is designed to help them do."

Financial Wellness Is Going Mainstream And Americans Are Ready

The findings also point to growing demand for financial wellness programs that address the psychology behind money:

• Nearly 70% believe mindset must change before—or alongside—their finances.
• 60% say they would be more motivated by a program that explores the psychology behind financial behavior.
• 62% would be interested in a financial wellness program developed by a financial therapist that focuses on their relationship with money.

About Financial Wellness RESET

Developed by Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT, Financial Wellness RESET combines behavioral science, financial therapy principles, and practical financial education. Participants begin with a free 20-question assessment followed by a five-module, self-paced curriculum built around five pillars: Recenter, Examine, Simplify, Empower and Transform. Financial Wellness RESET is available free to anyone on the Beyond Finance website: https://www.beyondfinance.com/blog/reset-framework/

As Beyond Finance celebrates 15 years of helping more than 1.3 million Americans, and resolving more than $15 billion in debt, the company believes the next frontier in financial wellness isn't simply providing more information—it's helping people create lasting behavioral change.

The survey was conducted online by QuestionPro among 2,010 U.S. adults in July 2026.

About Dr. Erika Rasure

Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ is an internationally recognized financial therapist, educator, and researcher with over two decades of experience helping people transform their relationship with money. She holds a doctorate in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University and is a Certified Financial Therapist™ — one of a small number of practitioners in the country to hold both credentials. As Chief Financial Wellness Advisor at Beyond Finance, she leads five weekly financial wellness sessions with clients navigating debt and is the creator of Beyond Finance's Financial Wellness RESET™ Framework, Assessment, and Curriculum — a proprietary, clinically-informed model that addresses the behavioral and emotional reasons financial advice so often fails to stick, helping people change not just what they do with money, but how they relate to it. She serves on the Financial Review Boards of Investopedia, The Balance, VeryWell Family, and VeryWell Parents, chairs the Financial Therapy Clinical Institute Research Board, and her expertise has been featured on NBC's Today Show, CNBC, CNN, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Barron's, the Associated Press, and USA Today.

About Beyond Finance

Beyond Finance is a leading financial wellness and debt consolidation company that has helped more than 1.3 million Americans, and resolved over $15 billion in client debt since 2011. Beyond Finance's financial wellness programming includes the Financial Wellness RESET™ Framework — a proprietary, clinically-informed model developed by Dr. Erika Rasure that addresses the behavioral and emotional dimensions of financial change alongside the practical ones — alongside five weekly live financial wellness sessions led by certified financial therapists, available to all enrolled clients. Beyond Finance holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received recognition, including the Organization of the Year award from The Business Intelligence Group's Excellence in Customer Service Award, the Gold Stevie Award for Outstanding Customer Service Department, the Banking Tech Award for Financial Wellness Champion, the Best In Biz Gold Award, and three ConsumerAffairs Buyer's Choice Awards. Beyond Finance has offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston. For more information, visit BeyondFinance.com.

SOURCE Beyond Finance