Money is on the move – and Americans are standing at the precipice of big financial choices ahead. On America’s financial scorecard, people rate their happiness with their overall personal finances a 4.97 out of 10, according to new research from Empower – and scores need improvement across the board, as the majority (91%) are prioritizing their financial health and happiness in a year of decisions ahead.

The combination of low awareness, high privacy concerns, and the clear demand for human-AI collaboration suggests that trust — not technology — is the necessary ingredient for AI adoption in consumer finance.

Nearly half of Americans (45%) feel financially prepared for retirement or felt so prior to retiring. 

New Empower research finds that Americans believe there's a secret to success, starting with an average yearly salary of $270,000.

Many people are seeing the “AI Advantage,” with new Empower research finding that nearly half of Americans (47%) feel more comfortable using artificial intelligence in their financial lives compared to a year ago. 

What makes for retiring well? For most Americans, it's living a little by affording experiences that bring joy (68%) and enjoying a high quality of life (49%), balanced by the security of reaching savings milestones (68%), according to new Empower research. 

Over half of Americans say there is a secret to success, and reaching it takes $270,000 a year, according to new Empower research. Just 37% of people consider themselves financially successful right now, though most (58%) believe it's attainable in their lifetime.

Americans plan to spend an average of $1,400 this holiday season, while 42% will regift to save money. New Empower research explores how America is “spending” the holidays. 

Americans are evenly split on their shopping habits: 29% favor small businesses, while 29% prefer national retailers. Though price remains top-of-mind for many shoppers (62%), speed is a major factor, according to Empower research.

The majority of Americans (60%) feel optimistic they'll reach their financial milestones. New Empower research finds nearly half have a clear financial plan to meet these money goals, from homeownership to retirement.

Cost is the primary driver for choosing benefits during open enrollment, and 35% of Millennials (27% of people overall) enroll in the least expensive option regardless of what the plans offer, according to new research from Empower. 

Americans put the “magic number” for retirement at over $1 million, according to new Empower research. Over half (52%) wish they had saved up more money in their retirement accounts when they were younger.