Even in the best of times, investors tend to be a nervous bunch. Any time you put money at risk of disappearing in often volatile markets, you are bound to experience a few butterflies.
But which fears are foremost on investors’ minds today?
Recently, the international financial advisory firm Natixis polled more than 7,000 people in 21 countries and asked them to list their greatest financial fears as part of the firm’s 2025 Global Survey of Individual Investors.
Overall, U.S. investors have a downbeat view of the market in 2025, expecting annual investment returns to fall 21% below the level of two years ago.
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. investors — 73% — worry that market volatility is likely to increase in the near term.
Financial worries are not limited to investors in the U.S. Here are the concerns that most weigh on the minds of investors around the world today:
- Higher everyday costs: 51%
- Large, unexpected expense: 35%
- Taxes: 34%
- Health care costs: 27%
- Job security: 21%
It’s notable that rising prices remain at the top of many investors’ minds. Natixis says the recent stickiness of inflation has left an “indelible mark” on investors.
Among investors in the U.S., 61% rank inflation as their top financial fear, and just 26% believe inflation is now behind them.
Globally, around two-thirds of investors say they save less today due to higher costs. Investors were most likely to feel this way in Australia (80%), Taiwan (78%) and Hong Kong (77%).
Even millionaires are feeling the pinch, with 60% saying they save less today due to inflation. A similar percentage — 56% — say inflation has eaten away at their investment gains, and that they worry about maintaining their current net worth.
A gloomy sentiment pervades the world of investors across the board. Overall, 38% of investors characterize their long-term goals as “more fantasy than reality,” according to Natixis.
Such feelings are especially common among investors who are doing well, but who are not rich.
Among investors with between $100,000 and $300,000 in investable assets, 45% see their goals as slipping out of reach. Among investors with between $301,000 and $500,000 in investable assets, 41% are pessimistic about reaching such goals.
Natixis sums up the current environment as follows:
“After 15 years of low interest rates, high returns, and relatively smooth sailing, the world suddenly feels less predictable in 2025.”
If you still hope to get rich despite living in such challenging times, check out “7 Ways You Can Be As Good at Investing as Warren Buffett.”
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