How are Americans doing with their money?

The country is a month of shortest economic expansion ever. Unemployment is at 50-year lows. Stocks notched the longest bull market last year and are again nearing fresh highs. And U.S. Pat. home values ​​hit a record high in the first quarter.

But a survey of Americans finds their individual financial security is less clear than those collective highpoints suggest

In many areas, fortunes have greatly improved compared to years. But Americans remain stressed about money and only a minority are satisfied with their financial position, according to the 2018 Financial Capability Study from FINRA Investor Education Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to financial education and empowerment.

USA TODAY was given an exclusive look at the survey on financial capability, which includes people's ability to make ends meet, plan ahead, manage financial products and understand financial concepts. The results will be released later Thursday

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“I give our nation's financial capability a solid C, leaning toward a C-minus,” says Gerri Walsh, president of the FINRA Foundation. “While some Americans feel better about their finances now compared with 10 years ago, too many obstacles that will likely keep us as a nation from acing financial capability any time soon.” Conducted every three years since its 2009 inception, the study surveyed more than 27,000 respondents nationwide online, measuring key indicators of financial capability.

Making strides

The survey had some upbeat news. Only one in five Americans experienced income in the last year, and half can comfortably meet their monthly bond, according to the FINRA Foundation survey.

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Catherine Wrona of Cheektowaga, New York, is one of them. She was a long way from where she was 10 years ago when the Great Recession officially ended and she had just completed a debt management program after a divorce that left her swamped in a credit card debt.

money, ”says Wrona, a research study coordinator. “But I can pay my bills every month and on time.”

Wrona, 57, also has a little bit saved for unexpected expenses like a car problem or other small emergency. "I would have the money to deal with it," says Wrona, reflecting a larger trend.

Asked if they could come up with $ 2,000 in emergency savings in a month, 43% of Americans were certain they could, while another 22 Worrying signs

The survey, though, revealed a host of concerns about Americans' finances.

Retirement savings: Only 58% of Americans have a retirement account, a figure that has hardly moved in 10 years, according to the survey's history.

"That's a big concern of mine. I come from a family of long-lived women," says Mary Joseph, 72, a retiree living in Pike County, Pennsylvania. "There is no need to go up, but my pension and social security do not go up much."

The share of Americans either taking a loan or withdrawn from their retirement accounts remains small, but has also grown since 2009 when the recession ended in June of that year

Health care costs: While most Americans have health insurance – 87% according to the survey – medical costs remain a strain. Nearly three out of 10, a medical service because of last year, including a quarter of those with health insurance. Just below one in four doctors' medical bills.

Student debt: Nearly half with student loans they've gone to a cheaper college. About half did not fully understand how much they would owe, and half worry they could not pay off their student loans ever, the survey found.

"People coming out of college had the expectation of making more money than they could and were forced to make some difficult decisions, ”says Dawn Hudson, a credit counselor with GreenPath Financial Wellness in Michigan, who has advised on recent influx of younger people struggling with education debt.

Savings and debt : Even though Americans can make ends meet, the percentage of spending less than their income has remained nearly unchanged over the decade. Almost half of the time it has set aside money to cover expenses for three months. And 37% say they have too much debt, the FINRA Foundation found.

All this leaves Americans feeling stressed about money despite the booming economy. Half say their personal finances make them anxious, and only 31% are very satisfied with their money situation. Just under a third earned income outside their main job.

"People are still struggling even though wages have increased and unemployment is down," Hudson says. "The cost of goods and services has gone up, but people's spending power has not kept up." CLOSE