TD Ameritrade survey spotlights evolving
“adulting” pressures and expectations
More than half of young Americans (58% of Gen Zs and 52% of
young millennials) expect to be more financially successful than
their parents, according to a new survey conducted by The Harris
Poll on behalf of TD Ameritrade. And with high expectations comes
pressure, which may explain why nearly half of young Americans
(48%) surveyed say they have experienced a quarter-life crisis.
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Quarter-Life Crisis (Graphic: TD
Ameritrade)
“In today’s socio-economic climate where years of stagnant
wages1 meet ‘hustle culture,’2 it’s easy to understand why some
young Americans feel they’re falling short of achieving their high
financial ambitions,” said Chris Bohlsen, director of Investor
Services at TD Ameritrade. “But as the concept of ‘adulting’
continues to evolve, so should young Americans’ thoughts and
attitudes toward their financial expectations and milestones. Even
though wage growth has started to improve and the job market is
better than it has been in years,3 what may have been realistic for
their parents or even older siblings still may not be now.”
Redefining adulthood According to the survey results,
young Americans believe that paying for streaming services is now
one of the first markers of modern adulthood, more so than
traditional milestones such as moving out of one’s parents’ house,
getting a full-time job or even paying one’s own phone bill. And as
this group redefines these traditional milestones, they’re doing so
in a way that’s at odds with their peers’ actual behavior.
- Age a person is expected to be able to do the following, on
average:
- Pay for their own streaming service: 19
- Start a full-time job, pay their own phone bill and move out
from their parent’s home: 20
- File their own taxes: 21
- Pay for their own health insurance, start saving for retirement
and start investing in the stock market: 23
- Despite ambitions to start saving early, only 28% of young
millennials over 23 have started saving for retirement, according
to the survey.
- Get married and have a child: 25
- 27 is the average age American women actually have their first
child4, while 30 (men) and 28 (women) are the actual average ages
that they get married.5
- Buy a home: 27
- 32 is the average age Americans actually buy their first
home.6
The financial independence disconnect Although high hopes
and expectations abound when it comes to financial independence,
there appears to be some flexibility among young adults when it
comes to staying dependent on their parents.
- On average, young Americans expect to be financially
independent by age 22, although one in five young millennials
expects to be reliant on their parents into their 30s.
- Meanwhile, 91% of parents don’t expect their children to be
financially independent until age 25.
- On average, young millennials say it’s not embarrassing to
receive parental financial support until age 30, while parents
think it’s embarrassing if kids are still receiving financial
support past the age of 27.
The saving struggle is real
- One in five young millennials say they still can’t afford to
save money.
- Gen Zs are more optimistic, with the number of those who report
they’ve started to save money increasing 6% from two years ago
(62%, up from 56% in 2017).7
- Savings are down in every category tracked in the survey, from
money set aside for tech splurges to emergency funds to home down
payments.
- Meanwhile, the number of young Americans who say they are not
currently saving money has increased 10% in the past two
years.7
Parents are the go-to for financial guidance The majority
of young Americans admit to not having a budget or not following
it. And across generations, young Americans are turning to their
parents for help.
- One in three Gen Zs say they don’t have a budget either because
they are too young to have one (19%) or they don’t know how to
budget yet (13%).
- Two-thirds of Gen Zs (69%) and half of young millennials (52%)
say they most often turn to their parents for financial advice,
followed distantly by their friends.
- Parents are also the go-to source for learning about basic
financial concepts, but young Americans are seeking less input from
them and other sources than they were just a couple of years ago.
- Forty-seven percent of Gen Z and 43% of young millennials said
they learned about basic financial concepts like budgeting and
saving from their parents, compared to 60% of Gen Z and 53% of
young millennials in 2017.7
“While it’s promising that support for teaching money management
skills to high school students is gaining traction8, it’s never too
early to start building financial literacy,” said Bohlsen. “Whether
it be from their parents, free online resources or otherwise, young
Americans should do what they can to better prepare themselves for
the realities of money management and aim to set expectations that
are in line with the current economic environment. Time is on their
side to start investing and saving early.”
About TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation TD Ameritrade
provides investing services and education to more than 11 million
client accounts totaling approximately $1.3 trillion in assets, and
custodial services to more than 7,000 registered investment
advisors. We are a leader in U.S. retail trading, executing an
average of approximately 850,000 trades per day for our clients,
more than a quarter of which come from mobile devices. We have a
proud history of innovation, dating back to our start in 1975, and
today our team of 10,000-strong is committed to carrying it
forward. Together, we are leveraging the latest in cutting edge
technologies and one-on-one client care to transform lives, and
investing, for the better. Learn more by visiting TD Ameritrade’s
newsroom at www.amtd.com, or read our stories at Fresh
Accounts.
Brokerage services provided by TD Ameritrade, Inc., member FINRA
(www.FINRA.org) / SIPC (www.SIPC.org)
Source: TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation
About The Harris Poll The Harris Poll is one of the
longest-running surveys in the U.S., tracking public opinion,
motivations and social sentiment since 1963. It is now part of
Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market
research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern
society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. We work
with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century
corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance
tracking, and earning organic media through public relations
research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help
leaders make the best decisions possible. TD Ameritrade is separate
from and not affiliated with the Harris Poll, and is not
responsible for their services or policies.
Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online
within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of TD
Ameritrade from February 28 to March 14, 2019, among 3,054 U.S.
adults and teens ages 15 and older. Key populations include: Gen Zs
(n=1027, ages 15 to 21), young millennials (n=1026, ages 22 to 28)
and parents (n=1001, ages 30 to 60). The parents had more than
$25,000 in investable assets.
1
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/business/economy/wage-growth-economy.html
2
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/26/business/against-hustle-culture-rise-and-grind-tgim.html
3
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/18/new-college-grad-job-outlook-more-offers-higher-salaries.html
4 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
5
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html
6
https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/quick-real-estate-statistics
7
https://s1.q4cdn.com/959385532/files/doc_downloads/Summer-Jobs-and-Internships.pdf
8
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/26/your-money/student-loan-debt-financial-literacy.html
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For Media: Becky Niiya, 402-574-6652 Director, Corporate
Communications rebecca.niiya@tdameritrade.com @TDAmeritradePR
For Investors: Jeff Goeser, 402-597-8464 Managing Director,
Investor Relations jeffrey.goeser@tdameritrade.com
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