--- title: 3 Money Moves People Are Making Because They're Nervous About the Economy description: Discover 3 money moves Americans are making to cope with inflation, recession fears and economic uncertainty in 2025. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 602 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2025-06-05T18:02:29.000Z' modified: '2025-06-05T18:43:13.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 658 canonical: https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo-illustration of someone on a laptop, with arrows coming out of it, and money in the background.](https://img.money.com/2025/06/News-Money-Moves-Americans-Nervous-Economy.jpg) In a new survey, nearly 4 in 10 employees said they are staying at their jobs because of economic jitters. It's just one of several signs that anxious Americans are making some interesting money moves in response to an unusual economic moment. People are also scaling back retirement contributions, adjusting shopping habits and rethinking investment approaches as [consumer debts rise](https://money.com/americans-credit-card-bills-struggle/) and [spending slows](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/30/consumer-spending-tariffs-economy/). (Specifically, consumers are shelling out less money on items including appliances, clothing and cars.) Economic uncertainty and tariff news have been leading the headlines, but the outlook has improved from a couple of months ago. In the stock market, "April showers brought May flowers," according to a Bank of America report Tuesday. With stocks up 6.3% last month, it was the S&P 500's best May since 1990. ## If your income has taken a hit, a Home Equity Loan may offer less expensive help ### Using a Home Equity Loan from Rocket Mortgage (NMLS #3030) can aid you in your time of need. Select your state to learn more. [Apply Now](https://money.com/pr/t8dfe7014d44?ap_referrer=%2Fmoney-moves-economic-uncertainty%2F) Still, the unfolding tariff drama continues to roil the stock market. On Tuesday, the White House confirmed a higher 50% rate for tariffs on steel and aluminum. The news came after a trade court temporarily [blocked](https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-trade-court-0392dbd59f548e49ad4f64254ae3f94a) some tariffs last week, sending stocks higher on hopes of de-escalation, only for an appeals court to [reinstate them](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05/29/us/trump-news) a few days later. Meanwhile, [tensions](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/29/fed-chair-powell-told-trump-in-thursday-meeting-that-rate-decisions-would-be-based-on-non-political-analysis.html) are brewing between Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the White House over bringing down interest rates. And while Senate Republicans say they are about to [deliver](https://x.com/SenateGOP/status/1929651385722654777) "the largest tax cut in American history," giving Americans "relief after four years of soaring prices," Democrats counter that the bill is too expensive and would hurt families. It's a lot to process. According to [Northwestern Mutual](https://news.northwesternmutual.com/planning-and-progress-study-2025), 69% of Americans now report that financial uncertainty has made them feel depressed or anxious, up eight percentage points since 2023. A trio of reports released this week point to some money moves people are making to navigate the instability: ## Cutting back retirement contributions About 4 in 10 workers (39%) are reducing 401(k) contributions amid economic uncertainty, according to a [Morgan Stanley report](https://www.morganstanley.com/press-releases/retirement-benefits-amid-volatility-morgan-stanley-study-) last week. They are cutting back specifically due to concerns about inflation or a possible recession. "This is particularly pronounced among Gen Z workers at nearly half (48%)," the report said. Some [advice](https://money.com/dont-check-your-401k-this-week/)? Don't create unnecessary stress for yourself by panic-checking retirement savings accounts like 401(k)s, where your investment horizon is usually long enough that short-term volatility is irrelevant. Continue making your automatic contributions and even consider periodically increasing your retirement savings rates. You'll be dollar-cost averaging into the market and will end up buying some assets at a discount during volatile periods. ## Rolling over from a 401(k) to a Gold IRA is made easy with American Hartford Gold ### The presence of gold in your retirement investments will prove fruitful in times of economic crisis and diversify your retirement savings. Click below to get started today! [Invest in Gold](https://money.com/pr/b7e59d6c4b66?ap_referrer=%2Fmoney-moves-economic-uncertainty%2F) ## Staying at their job A similar share of workers, 38%, report that they're staying at their job "solely due to economic uncertainty," according to a [24 Seven](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/24-seven-reveals-key-compensation-and-talent-solutions-insights-302471894.html) report. However, employers that depend on workers' uneasiness about the economy to retain staff could be in trouble. "As economic conditions stabilize, companies that are relying on external factors for retention rather than positive engagement could face a spike in turnover," the report said. ## Cooking at home Earlier this week, Campbell’s CEO Mick Beekhuizen said in an earnings call that a surge of Americans are cooking at home, likely to avoid high prices at restaurants and take some pressure off their wallets. The company is seeing "the highest levels of meals prepared at home since early 2020," he said, drawing a comparison to the uncertainty of the pandemic era. "Additionally, consumers are favoring ingredients that help stretch tighter food budgets." Warehouse clubs and discount stores have also reported strong sales in recent months, continuing to attract business from budget-conscious shoppers. Overall, it seems uncertainty is acting as a nudge for people to be a little more deliberate with their hard-earned dollars. Even fast-food outlets such as McDonald’s have warned of slower consumer spending and are seeing a stronger preference for their [value](https://money.com/fast-food-chicken-prices/) [offerings](https://money.com/fast-food-chicken-prices/). ## You don't have to leave the house to get restaurant-quality meals. ### HelloFresh feature fresh and delicious chef-prepared meals. Click below to get yours today! [View Plans](https://money.com/pr/uddbef488218?ap_referrer=%2Fmoney-moves-economic-uncertainty%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/26686/medium_6e2aea0b-012e-42df-841e-6c900b160674.png) Use your Home Equity to finance your goals with Rocket Mortgage (NMLS #3030) [Apply Now](https://money.com/pr/v73b3279b8dc?ap_referrer=%2Fmoney-moves-economic-uncertainty%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Economy", "item": "https://money.com/economy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "3 Money Moves People Are Making Because They're Nervous About the Economy" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/", "name": "3 Money Moves People Are Making Because They're Nervous About the Economy", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-06-05T18:02:29.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/money-moves-economic-uncertainty/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-06-05T18:43:13.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "3 Money Moves People Are Making Because They're Nervous About the Economy", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/06/News-Money-Moves-Americans-Nervous-Economy.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Money-Moves-Americans-Nervous-Economy" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. 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