Seventy-two percent of American adults would settle for slower headway on their money goals if it buys more time with family, trips and lasting memories now, according to a SoFi survey released Sept. 23. Retirement is among the goals in play, but the survey's headline number does not isolate it.
What the Survey Measured
SoFi's report, "Making The Most," draws on a YouGov online poll of 4,090 Americans between 18 and 65 fielded July 6–14, 2026. Respondents were selected using demographic quotas spanning gender, age, schooling, race and geography. CNBC reports a margin of error of 1.53 percentage points.
One limit matters for retirement readers. The 72% figure covers financial goals in general, a category that also includes buying a home and supporting family. The public release and CNBC's coverage do not break out a retirement-only share. Because the sample stops at 65, current retirees are not represented at all.
Enjoying Life Now Outranks Owning a Home
Adults are about twice as likely to see present-day enjoyment as proof of financial progress as to point to owning a home, 59% versus 27%, SoFi found.
The company labels this mindset "lifemaxxing" and describes it as valuing time next to money, not as a replacement for it. Among Gen Z and millennials, the most-named financial wins are more down to earth: cash to spare at month's end and a rainy-day fund.
The Retirement Confidence Gap
Retirement is where ambition and expectation split most among younger adults. Among Gen Z and millennial respondents, 62% hope for a comfortable retirement and 46% are confident of getting one, a 16-point gap.
The gaps are narrower elsewhere. About 63% want to be debt-free and 55% are confident they will be, an 8-point difference. On homeownership, 67% want a home and 62% expect to buy one, a 5-point difference.
SoFi's Brian Walsh, a certified financial planner who oversees the company's advisory and planning work, links the mood to higher costs, a shifting workforce and rapid advances in AI, which he says are changing how people weigh buying a home and retiring against paying down debt or enjoying life today.
Retirement Saving Was Already Under Pressure
Separate research points the same way. NFP's 2026 U.S. Retirement Trend Report, built on a survey of 1,000 working adults, found that 46% are deprioritizing retirement saving or unable to do it at all, with housing, healthcare and car payments taking priority.
The same report shows 72% of workers saying they are off track on retirement savings, up from 68% a year earlier. That overlap with SoFi's 72% is a coincidence: different pollster, different question.
The NFP data also shows growing reliance on Social Security. Among workers 55 and older, 41% expect it to be their main source of retirement income.
The Debt Trade-Off
CNBC, citing SoFi's data, reports that just 1 in 3 adults has financed a celebration, gathering or life milestone with debt, and it characterizes most people as lifemaxxing responsibly. That also means roughly two-thirds have not borrowed for such events.
Walsh says the approach can strengthen a person's finances as long as enough money keeps flowing to long-term goals such as retirement. He cautions that overspending today can leave someone in a precarious position later. His summary of the trade-off: "You can have anything you want. You just can't have everything you want."
What to Watch
Two questions will show whether lifemaxxing is a healthy rebalancing or a saving problem in disguise. The first is whether the borrowing share holds near one in three. The second is whether the retirement confidence gap narrows as younger workers move into higher-earning years.
Readers should also remember that SoFi sells financial products, so the survey reflects the company's own research interests. Its release states that the material is informational and is not financial advice.
