A new survey on behalf of Self Financial has uncovered the milestones Americans are missing out on and why.
America’s most important milestones
To understand what people value most in life, participants were asked to share which traditional milestones they see as the most important. These milestones offer insight into personal priorities, aspirations, and the ways in which individuals measure success and fulfillment.
Homeownership tops the list of most important milestones (22%), but falling in love barely registers at 1.6%.
When asked which milestones matter the most, owning a home was the top priority, cited by 22% of respondents. Getting married followed at 19.6%, while having a child or children was considered important by 14.6%. Meanwhile, milestones like falling in love (1.6%) and retirement (2.3%) were shown to be less important to people. America’s most important milestones
| Milestone | Percentage of respondents |
| Owning your own home | 22.0% |
| Getting married | 19.6% |
| Having a child/children | 14.6% |
| Graduating from high school | 9.0% |
| Graduating from college | 7.5% |
| Career success (for example earning a substantial income, owning a business or getting a promotion) | 4.7% |
| Paying off debt (for example, student loans) | 3.5% |
| Traveling | 3.4% |
| Having strong friendships | 2.9% |
| Moving out of shared or parental housing | 2.3% |
| Buying your first car | 2.3% |
| Retiring from work | 2.3% |
| Completing a Master’s, PhD, or other advanced qualification | 2.2% |
| Falling in love | 1.6% |
| Owning a pet | 1.4% |
Nearly a quarter of respondents are delaying owning their own home due to financial reasons
The survey asked participants whether they were currently delaying any life milestones due to financial or economic pressures.
Despite being named the most important milestones, nearly a quarter (24.9%) reported postponing the purchase of their own home, while 23.2% said they were delaying marriage. Having children was also affected, with 16.2% of respondents putting parenthood on hold.
Meanwhile, travel and life experiences were delayed by 3.8%, while buying a first car (2.3%) and retiring from work (1.4%) were the least commonly delayed milestones. Delayed milestones
| Milestone | Percentage of respondents |
| Owning your own home | 24.9% |
| Getting married | 23.2% |
| Having a child/children | 16.2% |
| Graduating from high school | 10.1% |
| Graduating from college | 6.6% |
| Paying off debt (for example, student loans) | 5.0% |
| Traveling and life experiences | 3.8% |
| Completing a Master’s, PhD, or other advanced qualification | 3.1% |
| Moving out of shared or parental housing | 2.4% |
| Buying your first car | 2.3% |
| Retiring from work | 1.4% |
26.5% of Americans are disappointed about missing important milestones in life
For people who have had to delay a milestone, the most common emotion experienced following this was disappointment (26.5%), followed by relief (24.8%). So which milestones have Americans given up on?
Over a quarter (26.3%) said becoming debt-free was something they were giving up on. Alongside this, 26.2% said they didn’t believe they would realistically be able to own their own home, and 17.9% said they have given up on the idea of starting a family or growing the family they already have. Which milestones feel out of reach?
| Milestone | Percentage of respondents |
| Becoming debt-free | 26.3% |
| Owning your own home | 26.2% |
| Starting or growing a family | 17.9% |
| Retiring comfortably at your desired age | 13.7% |
| Advancing in your career | 8.4% |
| Advancing in your education | 3.3% |
| Traveling or living abroad | 2.9% |
*Respondents could select more than one option.
Cost of living blamed as the reason why Americans can no longer achieve traditional milestones
When it comes to the biggest financial barriers to reaching traditional milestones, 28.5% of participants pointed to the cost of living in America. Housing costs were cited by 27.3%, while 16.7% highlighted the expense of relocation.
The pressure of traditional life milestones
Almost half of respondents (48.9%) said they feel a significant amount of pressure to reach certain milestones by a specific age, while only 2.7% said they don’t feel any pressure at all. When asked where this pressure originates, 26.4% attributed it to family expectations, and 24.8% to societal or cultural norms. Just 0.7% said their pressure stems from celebrity influence, and 2% pointed to school or educational settings as the source.
Buying a home is the top milestone to aim for
When asked which traditional life milestone they would choose to aim for if their financial situation improved, 41.9% said it would be buying their own home. This is followed by 38.6% that said they dream of starting or growing their family, and 5.5% that would take off travelling.
Despite 19.6% saying getting married is a top milestone for them in terms of importance, just 3% said they would aim to go down the aisle first if their financial situation improved, showing how traditional milestones are changing across America. Top milestones to aim for
| Milestone | Percentage of participants |
| Buying a home | 41.9% |
| Starting or growing a family | 38.6% |
| Traveling or taking a break | 5.5% |
| Starting a business | 4.7% |
| Getting married | 3.0% |
| Buying your first car | 2.0% |
| Retiring | 1.8% |
| Returning to education | 1.4% |
| Other | 1.2% |
When do Americans believe they’ll reach traditional milestones?
The survey asked participants when they expected to hit traditional life milestones, and (for those who had already done so) at what age they had originally imagined they would reach them. You can see the full breakown on the main study page: https://www.self.inc/info/missing-milestones/
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Tags: economy, home buyers, retirement, savings, wedding
