CEOs see affordability strain, but answers vary by workforce

Business leaders are acknowledging that many U.S. workers feel squeezed by everyday costs, Fortune reported, citing recent conversations with CEOs and financial executives. The debate now centers on what companies can do when wages, housing costs and savings gaps collide.

Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman told Fortune he wants to revive a version of the American Dream in which success is seen as something to aspire to rather than resent. He recalled that when he was growing up, a neighbor’s Corvette prompted admiration, not anger, and said he wants the country to return to that mindset.

Fortune framed the issue as a widening affordability problem: many people still want markers of success such as a new car, while some struggle to cover basic costs as wealth becomes more visible at the top. For corporate leaders, that has turned worker finances into a workplace issue.

Surveys show financial insecurity

In a Fortune-moderated discussion, Gallup CEO Jon Clifton and Edward Jones chief strategy officer Hasan Malik cited research showing that only about one in six U.S. adults feel financially fulfilled. Guardian Life’s 2026 Mind, Body, and Wallet report found that 13% of working Americans believe they are on track for retirement, the lowest level in the report’s 15-year history.

Guardian Life CEO Andrew McMahon told Fortune that financial pressure affects physical and mental health as much as any other factor. That finding puts financial benefits in the same conversation as broader employee well-being programs.

DailyPay CEO Nelson Chai told Fortune that about 160 million frontline workers are trying to cover basic needs. He said gas prices can affect whether workers can get to their jobs, making access to earned wages before a traditional payday a practical benefit.

Chai said DailyPay’s experience shows workers with access to daily pay are using it to cover necessities. He told Fortune that these workers are “really just trying to make ends meet,” and said the benefit can help reduce employee turnover.

Companies test different tools

Chime CEO Chris Britt is focusing on savings and investing access, Fortune reported. The company’s Chime Invest product lets customers with its low-fee accounts put money into the market, with the aim of helping them develop a habit of building wealth.

Britt pushed back on the idea that lower-income customers see themselves as powerless. He told Fortune that Chime sees customers who have agency, optimism and a willingness to volunteer and support others.

Ackman has argued that people shut out of capitalism may become more open to socialism, according to Fortune. Britt viewed warnings about broad anger among working people as overstated, based on what Chime sees among its customers.

Some executives remain wary of discussing affordability benefits in public. Fortune reported that one retail CEO, speaking confidentially, said programs such as daily pay or housing subsidies can amount to an admission that some jobs do not cover the cost of living in certain markets.

That executive said housing costs are beyond the company’s control and that the business cannot afford higher pay, according to Fortune. The comment points to the tension at the center of the affordability debate: companies can add targeted benefits, while the underlying cost pressures often sit outside any single employer’s reach.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.