By Sara Rathner, NerdWallet

After hustling your way to an income level beyond your wildest dreams, you finally don’t need to be quite so frugal.

But a combination of lifestyle creep and unexpected costs can quickly eat into those extra earnings. According to a NerdWallet survey from November 2024, 40% of Americans with a household income of $100,000 or more said they currently had revolving credit card debt.

“For most of us, as our income increases, so do our expenses: nicer apartments, upgraded wardrobes, more travel, more dinners out,” said Priya Malani, founder and CEO of Stash Wealth, a registered investment advisory in New York, in an email. “None of these are ‘bad’ in and of themselves, but without a plan in place, it’s easy to wake up one day and realize you’ve got nothing to

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