NEW YORK — Many of us believe we’ll always be kids at heart. But when do adults really become adults and begin making responsible decisions to ensure a comfortable future? It turns out half of Americans don’t even start saving up for a home until they’re at least 30 years old, according to new research.
A survey polled 2,000 Americans about all the parts of life that make them feel old. Researchers discovered that the top sign which signaled they were an adult was when respondents finally had to think about saving money (35%).
How to tell if you’re ‘adulting’
Other top “adulting” signs include filing their taxes (32%), signing up for life insurance (29%), and sticking to a budget (29%). Nearly three in five (58%) are afraid of taking on “adulting” tasks before living on their own and a similar number wish they were better prepared to take on these responsibilities (56%).
Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Fabric, the survey also finds more than half of Americans (51%) feel like they’re off track of where they should be in life. In fact, 39 percent feel like they’re being left in the dust by friends.
On average, people think others should start feeling like an adult at age 25, although 30 percent didn’t start feeling like an adult themselves until later on. People start getting excited about small adult life joys like buying a vacuum or organizing their cabinets at around 22 years-old.
Still, half of Americans (51%) rely on elders in their lives to help answer questions they have about “adulting” including paying taxes, a mortgage, or taking out life insurance.
Some of the biggest concerns that people have about becoming an adult revolve around not having enough money in their personal savings (41%), for retirement (35%), and for health and medical expenses (30%).
Parenting can accelerate adulting
Parents in the survey of course have their kids on their mind, with 35 percent of moms and dads worrying about not having enough money in savings for their children. Becoming a parent has also made 43 percent more careful drivers, 31 percent more concerned about nutrition labels, and 30 percent more interested in buying life insurance.
On average, the study finds that people think they will be the most concerned about their health around age 35.
Although half of Americans say they have open conversations about their finances with their families, 46 percent say that their family wouldn’t know where to find their important financial documents if something happened to them.
In the event that something did happen to them, more than two in three Americans have life insurance that their loved ones can fall back on. However, results show that people would rather clean the toilet (32%), comfort a crying baby (30%), or watch paint dry (25%) instead of looking into life insurance.
“Tackling important adult to-dos like finding the right life insurance policy for you and your family can be difficult and overwhelming. In fact, many people don’t even know where to begin. The good news is that in today’s digital world, it’s simpler than you think. Convenient and easy-to-understand digital solutions can make these often-cumbersome tasks a lot easier,” says Adam Erlebacher, Co-Founder and CEO of Fabric, in a statement.
