Millennials (people ages 21-36) are the most fiscally conservative generation since the Great Depression, according to the UBS Investor Watch report.
While Millennials describe their risk tolerance as either conservative or somewhat conservative (34%), their average asset allocation is extremely conservative, with the average portfolio dedicating 52% to cash, compared to 23% cash for other investors.
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The majority of Millennials said saving was the best financial advice they had received, while other generations said investing was the best. This Depression Era mentality combined with advice they get from family is turning Millennials into a generation of savers who are skeptical about long-term investing and market chasing.
Only 12% of Millennials said they would invest found money in the market, and only 28% see long-term investing as a pathway to success and are focused on meeting their goals instead of a specific market return.
Emily Pachuta, head of Investor Insights, UBS Wealth Management Americas, said: "Millennials seem to be permanently-scarred by the 2008 financial crisis. They have a Depression Era mindset largely because they experienced market volatility and job security issues very early in their careers, or watched their parents experience them, and it has had a significant impact on their attitudes and behaviors."
What is success
UBS Investor Watch research insights shatter other stereotypes about the Millennial generation. A large majority believe the road to success requires hard work (69%), saving and living frugally (45%), and a good education (37%).
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By GlobalDataWhen it comes to defining success, Millennials and other generations have added emotional and relationship factors and life experiences to the traditional financial definition.
But money clearly matters to Millennials, who say financial freedom is the single most important factor of success (48%) and say that a household income of US$220,000 defines success, and that increased funds would notably improve their happiness, specifically an additional US$1 million.
While all generations feel successful, only Millennials are decidedly more optimistic about their own – and their children’s – ability to be successful in the future.
Pachuta added: "Conventional wisdom has categorized Millennials as ‘entitled’ and ‘lazy’ because they have more than their parents and grandparents did. But this study counters that hypothesis. Having witnessed both the technology boom and the collapse of global markets, it has made Millennials concerned, but resilient, and optimistic for the future. They’re conservative, similar to the WWII generation coming out of the Great Depression, not resting on their laurels, but rather working hard for their wealth and success, making sacrifices because they believe their goals are achievable."
Millennials as worried about parents as parents are worried about them
As a result of seeing their parents’ retirement and investing plans seriously disrupted by unprecedented market volatility, concerns about parents rank near the top of Millennials’ personal financial concerns. Millennials are more concerned about their parents’ financial situations (21%) when compared to Gen X (15%) and Boomers (4%).
Questions about financial stability and the ability of younger generations to succeed on their own exposed the most divergent perspectives on money and success. While the majority of both Millennials (57%) and Gen X (56%) investors believe that they already have achieved financial stability, or will in the future, only 18% of Baby Boomers and 21% of Swing/WWII investors predict that their children currently or will have more financial stability than they have.
The majority of older generations (59% of Baby Boomers and 54% of Swing/WWII-era investors) also feel that their adult children need more help to succeed than they did at their age. As a result, they often provide financial (32% of Swing/WWII; 39% of Baby Boomers) and emotional (63% Swing/WWII; 59% of Baby Boomers) support.
