Are Millennials Risk Averse Savers?

The Millennials are the generation of kids born between the years 1981 and 1997. This year, Millennials will overtake the baby boomers as largest generation in United States history with 75.3 million people.

Millennial Americans are saving their money at a higher rate than their Baby Boomer counterparts at a similar age.  Research from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies shows that nearly three-quarters of Millennials are saving for retirement at an earlier age than past generations.  Half are putting away 6% of their income or more—a statistic that makes Millennials the best cohort of savers since the Great Depression, despite having to carry record high levels of student loan debt.  Those who participate in their workplace retirement plans are saving 7% a year, on average.

Alas, Millennials are not doing an equally good job of investing.  The research suggests that many younger Americans are frightened and confused by the topic of investing, and keep their money in their bank accounts.  That’s a problem, since low interest rates essentially drop the return on investment to 0% a year.  In the Transamerica survey, 25% of Millennial respondents said they weren’t sure how their retirement savings were invested, and, when they were promoted to check, they reported higher allocations to bonds, money market funds and other low-return investments than their Baby Boomer or Generation X counterparts.

There are a variety of prescriptions for the problem of being under-invested, which is much more easily fixed than bad savings habits.  Millennials need to be educated about investing—a subject which is not taught in high school or college.  They need to become more comfortable with risk, understanding that, although markets do go down from time to time, they have always recovered and beaten their previous highs. There is no shortage of web sites, blogs, books and podcasts available for them to take advantage of to educate themselves at little or no costs. A fee-only financial planner who is a fiduciary can be an invaluable resource to millennials who are skeptical or scared of investing.

If you are a millennial (or even if you aren't one), and would like to review your current investment portfolio or discuss any other financial planning matters, please don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our website at http://www.ydfs.com. We are a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm that always puts your interests first.  If you are not a client yet, an initial consultation is complimentary and there is never any pressure or hidden sales pitch. We start with a specific assessment of your personal situation. There is no rush and no cookie-cutter approach. Each client is different, and so is your financial plan and investment objectives.

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/arielleoshea/2017/02/21/5-essential-investing-moves-for-millennials/?ss=personalfinance#743c36582ab5

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2017/0221/Why-Millennials-are-better-with-their-money-than-their-parents

The MoneyGeek thanks guest writer Bob Veres for his contribution to this post.