FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A new study by cardrates.com encourages people to empower themselves financially.<\/p>\n
The Financial Resilience Report<\/a>, a first for the independent credit card review website, ranked 151 U.S. metros best positioned to overcome financial setbacks and those more prone to financial shocks.<\/p>\n “There’s no shame in it and no accolades,” says Consumer Finance Expert Erica Sandberg. “This is simply taking a look at different metro areas and analyzing who’s in the best position to deal with problems should they arise.”<\/p>\n Housing costs and lower incomes were the top reasons Fresno ranked last.<\/p>\n “The residents of Fresno may have to take extra steps to feel more capable of dealing with a setback,” Sandberg said.<\/p>\n The methodology factored in housing affordability, retirement income, job diversity, home value, unemployment and poverty rates.<\/p>\n The strongest metros for household financial resilience feature diversified job bases and lower housing costs.<\/p>\n “Low-cost housing where there are multiple job opportunities, income, diversity, there are all kinds of opportunities within that area,” Sandberg said.<\/p>\n Sandberg says this study is a reminder to be proactive when it comes to finances.<\/p>\n “Even the people living in the most financially resilient areas, that doesn’t mean they are immune to financial problems,” she said. “They certainly are.”<\/p>\n “Incomes haven’t been rising as fast as inflation,” says Samuel Molina The Academy of Financial Education CEO. “We’ve seen a lot of that across the country. We’ve also seen an influx of people moving from the Bay Area, Southern California to Fresno, so that drives up our costs as well.<\/p>\n Molina says you can protect your assets by putting your money to work.<\/p>\n “Using accounts like high-yield savings accounts, certificate of deposit accounts, money market accounts,” he said. “These aren’t investment accounts, but they do allow you to retain a bit more value than your regular checking or savings accounts.”<\/p>\n In addition to reducing expenses, build up your skills<\/p>\n “As AI takes over more lower-level jobs, you have to make sure you’re ahead of the curve,” Molina said.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n