According to Northwestern Mutual 2025 Planning & Progress Study, finances are fueling depression, anxiety, sleepless nights and relationship issues – often exceeding national averages
DALLAS, June 3, 2025 – Financial uncertainty is having a significant impact on the wellbeing of Dallas residents. From sleep quality and mental health to personal relationships and job performance, money is weighing heavily on their minds and their bodies.
These are some of the latest findings from Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress Study, the company’s proprietary research series that explores the attitudes, behaviors, and perspectives of Dallas area residents across a broad set of issues impacting their long-term financial security.
Feelings and emotions about money are showing up in their day-to-day lives in many ways:
- Depression and anxiety: Close to seven in 10 in Dallas (68%) say that financial uncertainty has made them feel depressed and anxious, right around the national average of 69%.
- Sleepless nights: Meanwhile, two in three (66%) of Dallas residents say money worries have kept them up at night, exceeding the national average of 63%.
- Anxiety creating issues:A majority of those in Dallas who are married or living with their partner (55%) say that financial uncertainty has impacted their relationship with their spouse or partner, slightly under the 57% national average.
- Sidetracking social events and job performance: Six in 10 (60%) in Dallas say their financial concerns have caused them to miss out on a social event, higher than the national average of 55%. Meanwhile, nearly half (47%) say their worries about money have affected their job performance, just below 49% nationally.
- Feeling sick:More than 4 in 10 (44%) in Dallas say that financial worries have made them feel physically ill, higher than the national average of 40%.
“The message is loud and clear that financial worries are impacting people’s day-to-day health and wellness,” Blake Gunderson, Managing Director for Northwestern Mutual – Rockwall/East Texas, said. “While it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by financial stress, anxiety does not have to be reality. Partnering with a financial professional is critical to managing finances, reducing anxiety, and building resilience against market fluctuations.”
Finances outrank physical health and mental health as greatest weakness
As part of the study, Dallas residents were asked to describe how “strong” or “weak” they feel about various aspects of their personal lives. Nearly half (48%) of Dallas residents label their finances as “weak” – a sum that significantly outpaced shaky feelings about their friendships (27%), physical health (30%), job stability (25%), mental health (27%), and their relationships with family (22%).
“The biggest weakness people see in their lives relates to money management – and the survey is tangible proof that our community and our industry need to address it,” Gunderson said. “When prioritized, financial planning can make a difference, and that starts by having candid conversations with a trusted professional.”
About the 2025 Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study
The 2025 Planning & Progress Study was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Northwestern Mutual among 4,626 U.S. adults aged 18 or older. The survey was conducted online between January 2 and January 19, 2025. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income, and propensity to be online to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. A complete survey methodology is available.
For more information about the study, visit https://news.northwesternmutual.com/planning-and-progress-study-2025.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With nearly $700 billion of total assets being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $38 billion in revenues, and $2.4 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 110 on the 2024 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2025.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.
Submitted by Earl Arms, Media & Public Relations Strategist, Northwestern Mutual
