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An independent report commissioned
by American Express
The LifeTwist Study

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Foreword
authored by The Futures Company
The Futures Company is an award-winning, global strategic insight and innovation
consultancy. Unparalleled global expertise in foresight and futures enables The Futures
Company to unlock new sources of growth through a range of subscription services
and research and consulting solutions. The Futures Company was formed through the
integration of The Henley Centre, HeadlightVision, Yankelovich and most recently, TRU.
The Futures Company is a Kantar company within WPP with teams in Europe,
North America, Latin America and Asia.
In the last decade, American society has undergone
a transformation brought on by a world of accelerated
change. This has been exacerbated by a recession,
increased global conflict, political tension and most
of all, the technological revolution. All of these factors
have altered our nation’s cultural and social views and
called into question one of the most basic American
ideals: our definition of success and individuals’
aspirations when seeking fulfillment.
For more than a century, American Express has
reflected society’s hallmarks of achievement, and
enabled its Cardmembers to attain the attributes of
success. Recognizing a shift in the life priorities and
aspirations of its Cardmembers, American Express
commissioned The Futures Company to explore the
evolution of success and what it means today.
We found that today’s Americans have recalibrated the
linear path to which previous generations once aspired.
In its place, people are embarking on a route full of
twists, turns, detours and side trips. These surprising
and sometimes unplanned roads to success have become
so frequent, that most Americans expect and in many
cases are embracing them. As a result, we dubbed this
project: the ‘LifeTwist’ Study.
Since 1971, The Futures Company has tracked
Americans’ attitudes and values, including their
definitions of success and fulfillment. The annual
Yankelovich MONITOR confirms that Americans are
reexamining their material surroundings, reimagining
the tone and tempo of their lives, and committing to
take a new measure of control over not only their
finances, but their destinies.
Data tracked since the 1980s suggests that America
has shifted from a culture that primarily judged
success based on external displays of wealth to a society
that now places greater weight on less tangible measures
like life experiences and happiness when defining their
own success and the success of others. For example, U.S.
Yankelovich MONITOR research from 1988 to 2012 shows
a substantial decrease in the number of people who believe
money is the only real meaningful measure of success, and
an even more substantial increase in those who view life
satisfaction as a sign of success.
This change in sentiment is consistent with the latest
findings of the LifeTwist study which shows that less
than a third of Americans say they judge the success
of others based on the money they have.
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3.
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans
consider themselves to
be a success, yet 83% say
‘I’m a work in progress.’
3

4.
70%
Embracing the new experiences
and changes life throws my way
57%
Having children
The Successful American
Key attributes among those who say they are a success.
85%
Finding time for the
important things in life
81%
Having a good balance
between work and personal life
66%
Being able to make an impact
or difference in people’s lives
56%
Giving back to my community/society
and lending time, knowledge, or advice
to help others achieve their goals
27%
Having a lot of money
(as compared to 33% of
the general population)
94%
Being open to change
85%
Having a good
marriage/relationship
$
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5.
Dozens of the survey’s findings reflect a new American
notion of success, but perhaps none more starkly than
the sentiment that Americans ranked “having a lot of
money” 20th on a list of 22 possible contributors to
having a successful life. This sentiment mirrors the
steadily rising trend, tracked by the U.S. Yankelovich
MONITOR, that Americans are increasingly placing
greater priority on living a fulfilling life – in which
being wealthy is not the most significant factor.
Most Americans today define their own success based
on being healthy (85%), having a job they love (75%),
having time to pursue passions (69%), continuing to
learn and do new things (65%), and being able to make
a difference in people’s lives (62%). All of these factors
scored much higher as contributors to success than
simply having a lot of money (33%).
When they assess themselves against these standards,
Americans feel that they are measuring up. Nearly six
in 10 consider themselves to be a success either most
of the time (47%) or all of the time (11%).
People are also far more likely to judge the success
of others based on how happy they are (61%) or the
quality of their family life (42%). Less than a third (27%)
said they judge the success of others based on the how
much money they have.
While there obviously continues to be a strong
relationship between success and money today –
the vast majority (81%) of Americans believe that
“knowing how to spend your money well” is far more
important to feeling successful than simply having
money in the first place. Only one third (33%) of
Americans considered having a lot of money to be
a key factor of success.
In addition to being fiscally savvy, Americans are also
challenging the stereotype of the voracious consumer
who values material goods above all else. In fact, more
than two-thirds (72%) of respondents would rather
spend money on experiences than things. While there
is no doubt that people will continue to devote time
and disposable income to shopping, pursuing personal
passions has become more central to feeling fulfilled.
For example, 83% of Americans believe that making
time for the important things in life is essential to
feeling successful.
Change has always been part of the American
landscape. But in today’s digital world, the rate
of change has accelerated, making it a more familiar
occurrence for a greater number of people. One of the
biggest changes consumers have recently faced is a
financial setback, experienced by 43% of Americans,
including 38% of those making $100,000 or more
a year.
The good news about the economic climate of the
past few years is that its concurrence with the social
media and digital revolution has sparked a new level of
adaptability, flexibility and opportunity that consumers
want to embrace amidst the twists and turns life throws
their way.
Success Today
of Americans believe that
“knowing how to spend
your money well” is far more
important to feeling successful
than simply having money
in the first place (33%)
81%
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How we Define
OUR OWN Success
top ten contributors to success
How we Define the
success of others
top ten contributors to success
Good Health
85%1
Finding Time for the Important Things in Life
83%2
Having a Good Marriage/Relationship
81%3
Knowing How to Spend Money Well
81%4
Having a Job I Love
75%6
Being Physically Fit
66%8
Embracing New Experiences/Changes
65%9
Always Trying to Learn and Do New Things
65%10
Making the Time to Pursue Your Passions
and Interests
69%
7
Having a Good Work/Personal Life Balance
79%5
Happiness Levels
61%1
Family Life
42%2
Life Experiences
31%3
How Much Money They Make
27%4
How Generous They are to Others
24%5
How Educated They are
16%6
The Nature of Their Job
14%7
How Physically Fit/Healthy They are
12%8
Their Involvement in Volunteer/
Charity Efforts
7.5%
9
Their Involvement in Their Local Community
7.3%10
33%
Success Today
of Americans think the key to having a successful life is having a lot of
money, ranking it 20th on the list of contributors to having a successful life
6

7.
would rather
spend money
on experiences
than things
72%
Photo Credit: Pal2iyawit 7

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Embracing Life’s Twists and Turns
13%
Traditionalists
Have a path mapped out
and they’re determined to
“stick to it”
Do not have a specific path
in life, they go wherever life
takes them
25%
Passivists
Actively seek out change
in their life to reinvent
themselves
11%
Reinventionists
Have a path mapped out,
but are open to veering off
that path
52%
LifeTwisters
America is a country where people disagree on everything
from pizza toppings to the designated hitter rule. Yet in one
of the survey’s most telling findings, 95% of respondents –
from all income levels, genders and age ranges – agree
that the road to success is likely to involve detours and
unexpected changes.
With consumers more likely to expect twists and turns,
it’s no surprise that 65% of Americans report that their
goals have changed many times over the course of their
lives. This represents a much less linear life path than was
once traditionally expected.
In fact, an overwhelming 83% of Americans, including
79% of Boomers, still consider themselves to be a “work in
progress.”Just as important, the majority of Americans say
they are willing to take any number of roads less traveled to
achieve their goals. Our study results show that they fall into
four distinct groups, which we have labeled according to the
paths each faction says they are likely to follow.
1. The most heavily populated group (52%) is composed
of “LifeTwisters” – those who have a distinct life path in
mind but are open to occasionally veering off that path
to embrace the changes life throws their way.
2. The “Reinventionists” make up an additional 11% of
Americans. This group is much more proactive than
LifeTwisters in precipitating change – with the specific
goal of reinventing themselves again and again.
3. In contrast,“Passivists” represent a quarter of the
population. These are people who say they lack a life
plan. They not only “go with the flow” when facing life’s
challenges, and take a more passive approach to its
twists and turns.
4. Conventional values haven’t faded from the scene
altogether. Thirteen percent of people – the
“Traditionalists” – say they have a plan laid out
and have no intention of veering from it.
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9.
of Americans, regardless
of income level or life
generation, agree that
the road to success in
life is likely to involve
some detours and
unexpected changes
95%
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10.
10
of Americans say their positive
and negative life changes helped
them understand what is more
important in life
across all incomes have
experienced a financial setback,
including 38% of those making
more than $100,000
43%59%

11.
A Life Well Lived
58%say they are more
willing to try new things
than five years ago
Even more true among
Women than Men:
Reasons given for the increased
willingness to try new things include:
Better understanding of what
I need to live a fulfilling life
Seeking more variety in life
65% 50%
55%
43%
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Our research casts a light on a number of themes
that frame Americans’ new conception of a life well
lived. Chief among these is a willingness to sample
what life has to offer. Fifty-eight percent of Americans
say they’re more willing to try new things now than
they were five years ago. Surprisingly, wealth is not
a predictor of curiosity. In fact, more people with
household income below $25,000 (60%) than those
with incomes above $100,000 (57%) say they are
more willing to try new things. Millennials (67%) were,
unsurprisingly, the most open to change, but Gen Xers
(63%) and Boomers (54%) more than held their own.
Interestingly, far more women (65%) than men (50%)
across all generations say they are more willing to try
new things now compared to five years ago.
When asked why, 55% said they have a better
understanding today of what makes them feel fulfilled,
while 43% said they desired more variety in their lives.
In today’s digitally-driven world, more Americans than
ever have access to the tools and knowledge they need
to take on a new hobby or explore their entrepreneurial
spirit. The barriers to entry are lower; the ability to
experiment means that the financial risk may be
minimized. As a result, the population of Americans
ready and able to explore something new has grown
exponentially.

12.
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On Americans’ Bucket List
Traveling 88%
Having Kids 76%
Pursuing Passions as
a Hobby or Career 75%
Volunteering Time for
a Cause I Believe in 70%
doing something
with MY hands 60%
What Tops America’s Bucket List
Becoming rich is #8 on America’s
bucket list, just below learning to
become a better cook.
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‘Bucket Lists’ are no longer for those in the final
stages of their lives. Regardless of age, when asked
what they would put on a bucket list of things they
wish to accomplish, 88% placed traveling to new
places at the very top – followed by more traditional
goals like having children (76%) and pursuing their
passions as a hobby or career (75%). A majority of
Americans (57%) still have aspirations to become
rich, but when prioritized among items like the
opportunity to travel and having a rewarding family
life, it ranks #8 on America’s bucket list – right
below learning how to be a better cook.
Americans are living in a time of accelerated
change, and as a result, are embracing life’s detours
and changing their life goals to adapt. Americans
have established a new standard of success where
pursuing passions and seeking life fulfillment now
supersede the sheer accumulation of wealth.

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Implications
The findings of the LifeTwist study have significant
implications for those in both the public and private
sectors.
For example, businesses must recognize that
employees are placing a greater premium on work
life balance and are looking for ways to pursue their
passions. Implementing policies or programs that allow
employees to make time for what’s most important
to them, whether at work or at home, may help attract
and retain top talent.
Educators and parents must prepare their students and
children to embrace and expect detours and unexpected
changes along their paths to success. Students must
understand that despite the challenges of the current
economic landscape, there are multiple paths that can
lead to an enriching and successful life.
Additionally, government sectors, healthcare companies
and all other organizations that develop services and
offerings for consumers at different life stages must
recognize that many of the traditional milestones such
as living independently, getting married, having children
and retiring may not occur in the traditional order one
might have once expected.
Regardless, Americans affirm that in a world of
accelerated change, with increased opportunities to try
something new, the updated estimated time of ‘arrival’
for many Americans seems to be…never.

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Research for the American Express LifeTwist Study was
completed online among a random sample of 2,184 U.S.
adults 18+. Interviewing was conducted by Research
Now between April 3 and April 12, 2013. Data analysis
was conducted by The Futures Company.
Methodology
The Futures Company is an award-
winning, global strategic insight and
innovation consultancy. Unparalleled
global expertise in foresight and futures
enables The Futures Company to
unlock new sources of growth through
a range of subscription services and
research and consulting solutions. The
Futures Company was formed through
the integration of The Henley Centre,
HeadlightVision, Yankelovich and most
recently, TRU.
The Futures Company is a Kantar
company within WPP with teams in
Europe, North America, Latin America
and Asia.
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