Overview
- TIAA and Stanford’s GFLEC reported on Monday, June 1, 2026, that U.S. adults answered 47 percent of financial-literacy questions correctly in 2025, the lowest score in the survey’s decade-long run.
- The drop reflects a rise in the share of Americans with very low literacy to 25 percent from 20 percent a decade ago, signaling a growing group with minimal basic finance knowledge.
- The survey found clear gaps by group with women, Gen Z (ages 18–29), Black Americans and Hispanic Americans scoring lowest, and those with low scores four times more likely to have trouble making ends meet.
- Researchers and TIAA noted possible drivers such as misleading personal-finance content on social media, complex financial products, and household cost pressures but the study did not test causes.
- TIAA and experts called for a three-part response focused on early financial education, targeted programs for low-scoring groups, and simpler consumer-facing practices to reduce costly mistakes.