You’ve heard a lot about Millennials: They care about experiences. They don’t care about money. They only care about themselves. They're screwed.
But they’re now beginning to approach their 40s, starting and growing families and paying more attention to growing their wealth. Edelman’s new Millennials With Money study, a follow-up to our first deep-dive in 2016 on this generation’s relationship with money and financial services, unpacks four key insights on how they feel today:
Money means more than you know. More than eight-in-10 affluent Millennials (defined by having at least $50,000 in investable assets or at least $100,000 in individual or joint income) feel financially successful. Despite what we’ve heard, financial wealth is one of the top characteristics shaping their definition of success overall.
They eagerly embrace disruption. A full quarter of affluent Millennials say they’re holding or using cryptocurrency; another 31 percent say they’re interested in using it. And when it comes to seeking financial advice, 23 percent have enlisted robo-advisors.
They’re financially savvy but still stressed. While most feel financially successful, many still struggle to make financial decisions. Of those who do, 54 percent say thinking about money makes them “stressed and anxious.”
They’re much more skeptical. More than three-quarters say shopping for financial services products leaves them feeling unsure and out of their depth, and 70 percent say financial services companies make the purchasing process unnecessarily confusing and frustrating. More concerning is that 77 percent believe it’s just a matter of time before “bad behavior” of the financial industry leads to another economic crisis, nearly 20 points higher than their non-affluent peers and affluent Gen-Xers we surveyed.
As any generation grows up, the organizations that serve it must adjust their assumptions, their communications and even their operations to best meet its expectations. What actions can financial services companies take from these insights to strengthen their partnership with this generation as they enter the heart of the market?
Read the full study findings and recommendations here.
Deidre Campbell is global chair, Financial Services Sector.
