Millennials and Gen Z: How the New Generation Invest?

How the New Generation Invest? The new generation of investors are connected most of the time as they grow up in a digital environment where the internet controls almost every aspect of their life. They are fully connected to everything digital and seek practices that benefit their long-term goals. 

Known as “Gen Z”, the individuals born between 1996 and 2016, this new generation is a social media savvy generation that spends more time online and uses technology more than any other generation. Gen Z is more interested in the experience itself. This has been apparent in the broad changes to consumption habits and investment practices in favor of products and services that are more beneficial to the present and future as well.  

Meanwhile, tech innovation has facilitated the development of apps and services to meet the needs of Gen Z as investors who are looking to have exposure to the digital world that we now live in. 

Millennials and Gen Z — A Growing Force in Investing 

Today’s millennials and Gen Z are more economically powerful than any previous generation. They are earning more, saving more, and investing sooner and at higher rates. Furthermore, this new generation of investors invests their capital in new frontiers and on new platforms, with new priorities. 

New age investors are digital natives. As the digitally savvy investor group, they are influential in leading other generations and compelling industries to reexamine their investment service models. The preference for technology-driven interactions has led them to view traditional long investment strategies as bureaucracy. As high-speed technology and instant results become increasingly common, investing by millennials and Gen Z is prone to instant gratification. 

The millennial generation invested 31% of their wealth before age 21, compared to 9% of baby boomers and 14% of Gen X. Millennials are not just the largest workforce, but also poised to receive a wealth transfer of tens of trillions of dollars, which is already underway. 

Gen Z and Millennials have different investment time frames

A survey revealed that 90% of Gen Zers believe it is crucial to begin saving now for their future, and 80% think it is more important to spend wisely than earn a lot of money. Research from Barclays Smart Investor found that 49% of Gen Z investors only intend to invest for no more than 5 years to make a lump sum of money quickly. While millennials tend to invest in the future, 31% are currently saving for a life milestone, such as buying a house. 

Investing in the Digital Era 

Financial freedom has become the main objective for Gen Z in a digital world. According to recent surveys, Gen Z has around $360 billion as disposable income. Around 25% of them buy stocks through mobile apps, with 59% believe that investing in cryptocurrencies will make them wealthy.  

The younger generation has become more comfortable with investing, a practice that is no longer seen as exclusive for market professionals. By virtue of the internet’s revolution, the new generation can now explore the world of trading only through some clicks on their smartphones. The broader accessibility to online trading has enticed young traders to step in the financial markets and start investing in stocks, commodities, CFDs, Forex and cryptocurrencies.  

This can be the direct impact of the prevalence of social media influencers and investment advocates bragging about their crypto investments. Generation Z became keen on seeking easy and quick ways to make money. This pursuit has led them to get exposed to riskier investments. 

Crypto assets, including cryptocurrencies and NFTs, gave young investors the chance to make lots of money faster. Thanks to advanced technology and easy access, these markets became handier to young investors compared to earlier generations when trading was a harder process.  

Millennials And Gen Z Top Stock Picks 

In Q1 2022, the top stocks traded by Millennials and Gen Z remained the same as the previous quarter. Tesla came at the top of the list, followed by Apple, AMC Entertainment, Amazon and finally Microsoft, according to the quarterly report published by Apex.   

Thanks to its record deliveries, Tesla stock rose 36% in Q4 2021 despite the fact that some of its factories have been running below capacity for several quarters affected by supply chain limitations. In the meantime, Apple shares managed to perform well amid a highly volatile market. Recently published Q2 earnings showed that the giant tech company revenues beat expectations despite lockdowns in China and supply chains constrains. However, the impact is expected to be reflected in the Q3 figures. 

Amazon is still quite a pick for younger investors regardless of the recent drawdown. On the other hand, Microsoft shares printed a notable performance supported by better-than-expected earnings.  

Nvidia, Disney, GameStop and Meta shares are among the top stock picks for Millennials and Gen Z in 2022, the report revealed.  

Investment Trends for Gen Z in 2022 

Cryptocurrencies  

As a result of accelerating fintech developments, the growth of digital money and decentralized investments continue its rapid growth. Despite its risky nature, cryptocurrencies entice the young new generation of investors. When it comes to new investment themes and market trends, Gen Zers are among the major participants. As appetite for traditional investments is decreasing because of outdated approaches or trust issues, young investors have turned to alternative investments including the crypto market. Gen Z members prefer to do their own research rather than relying on insights from traditional financial advisors.  Check How To Start Investing in Cryptocurrencies.

NFTs 

Surveys show that NFTs are set to soar as the new generation is fascinated with digital representations of luxurious belongings, which is now enabled by NFTs. In 2021, the NFT transactions exceeded $17 billion, from only $82.5 million in the previous year. NFTs are digital assets created to identify things in a unique way as units of data stored on a blockchain and represent the ownership of real items.  

To the Moon We Go! 

If anything has price action that resembles a rocket, it is cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin opens at the 30K price level in the year 2021, and peaked all the way up above 60K in just the same year alone.  

“Find me something else to beat 100% ROI within the same year and I’ll put my money in!” are the words of young adults. Well, the answer lies in another cryptocurrency called Dogecoin, which for the record, is very much driven by Elon Musk marketing rather than real value as Buffet advocated for decades. 

Value? What value? Millennials and Gen Z need their wealth to grow fast and furious! 

Being digitally savvy and sick of being controlled by the “dinosaurs” in power (yes, we’re looking at your central banks), there is no surprise in saying that cryptocurrencies are the favorite asset class of the millennials and Gen Z. 

What I Use is also What I Invest 

Being a tech savvy bunch, millennials also bet on tech stocks with the beliefs that if it is what they use very frequently in their lives, it must be worth high value.  

• 42% Gen Z and millennials are holding fintech stocks 
• 40% of Gen Z and millennials hold IT stocks 
• 38% Gen Z and millennials are holding emerging tech stocks 

Therefore, it seems to be pretty simple in the minds of young investors. If Apple products are popular, they invest in Apple while using its products. If the young adults binge a lot on Netflix, they will put their money in Netflix as an investment too. 

Granted not every Gen Z and millennials is able to afford a product from Tesla yet, the love of the future possibilities of Tesla’s technology has maintained it as a favourite among the young investors. Tesla’s founder Elon Musk also has significant influence on Gen Z and millennials. The Twitter acquisition by Elon Musk in April 2022 has also stirred a fair bit of talkability among the community, sending the price of $TWTR from the year low of $32 to $52 in just matter of days. 

Twitter, Dogecoin and Elon Musk 

The combination of stocks, cryptocurrency and influencer marketing. The lines between investment and lifestyle have blurred. In building wealth and pathway to financial freedom, Gen Z and millennials also attach their personal lifestyle in reflecting their choice of investment. Very much like a personalized piece of t-shirt in shouting one’s persona to the world. 

Slow and Steady is NOT GOOD ENOUGH 

The boomers spoke very fondly of Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger and value investing. A lot. Those days are gone. The millennials and Gen Z have no time to waste. 

Is value investing dead? Not necessarily. Is it reasonably sustainable for the millennials and Gen Z when they’re so young and have relatively small capital when it comes to investment? 

It is obvious – value investing is not good enough. Slow and steady is unsexy and it takes the young adults nowhere but remain in status quo at best. This is worsened by the very impatient nature of millennials and Gen Z, who have also labelled Buffet and Munger as “dinosaurs” whenever the old folks wrote opinions against cryptocurrencies. 

Gen Z and Millennials Have No Excuse Not to Invest 

Living costs have significantly increased over the past couple of years, and it is only likely to become more difficult in the near future, preventing Gen Z and Millennials from achieving financial independence and homeownership. A house that a baby boomer bought for $50,000 is now worth over $1 million. In combination with the high cost of higher education, Gen Zers are unlikely to own a home any time soon. Therefore, they should start making smart, impactful financial moves as soon as possible. 

Only Investing Can Unleash the Power of Compound Interest! 

Because of today’s meager returns, cash deposited in a traditional savings account actually loses money to inflation. Fortunately, compound interest makes it possible for anyone to create wealth, provided they possess the one thing Gen Z has in abundance time. 

Assume you invest $1,000 and earn 10% per year for the next 10 years. With simple interest, you would earn $100 a year for 10 years and end up with $2,000 at the end. On the other hand, compound interest allows you to earn interest on interest. Compound interest would make your portfolio worth $2,593.74 after 10 years, or 30% more. 

How the Next Generation of Investors are Gamifying Investing 

Most professional investors follow an institutionalized pattern when it comes to investing. A majority of their time is spent assessing the risk involved before they pour any money into any asset, and the majority of their investments are long-term. A new generation of investors, however, approaches investing with a much more cavalier approach. 

Both Gen-Z and Millennial investors rely on easy-to-use apps to make their investments, forging ahead without paying attention to trends and research. Several new generations of investors have started treating the market like a gaming interface. They tend to take on more risks, diversify their portfolio with other investments to protect their capital as well as find more short-term investment options and loopholes to increase profits. 

While this investment approach aligns best with the preferences of the new-gen investors, it also brings in a heap of negatives with it. 

“There is no such thing as easy money in investing” 

Risk is still the biggest piece of the puzzle. A good investing application should emphasize decision tracking, reward good behavior, and remove biases and impatience that lead to impetuous losses. The best way to ensure a successful investing venture is to understand the assets and the potential risk associated with them. The new generation of investors should keep in mind that investing real money is not a game, it is not supposed to be fun, and it has real consequences. 

Social media is the go-to investment resource for Gen Z 

Social media has been a source of investment advice for about 60% of Gen Z and millennial investors. The following are the most popular sources of social media content used by Gen Z and millennial investors: 

It’s not surprising that 18- to 24-year-olds turn to social media for investment information, as they use social media in many aspects of their daily life. Furthermore, social platforms allow investors to interact with a community and consume information more actively than more traditional sources. 

Millennials, Gen Z, and the Future of Sustainable Investment 

According to new research, Millennials and Gen Z are most concerned about the future of our planet and influence others to prioritize sustainability when making investment decisions. The business expectations of Millennials and Gen Z are already changing, and resilient companies are addressing this reality by investing in sustainability, integrity, and advocacy. 

Investing in sustainable products and a cohesive sustainability narrative is likely to be worthwhile as the Millennial and Gen Z become more influential as consumers and employees, growing the demand for sustainability. 

According to a new survey, Millennials and Generation Z are more concerned about sustainability than brand names. These “digital natives” are actually inspiring other groups of people to be sustainable. It is also proven that consumers of all generations today are willing to spend more on sustainable products than they were two years ago.  

Since 2019, the preference for sustainable brands among Generation X consumers increased by 24 percent, and the willingness to pay more for sustainable products increased by 42 percent. Consumers of all generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, are now willing to spend more on sustainable products. The willingness to spend more on sustainable options was only 58 percent two years ago. Today, more than 90 percent of Gen X consumers are willing to spend 10 percent more or more on sustainable products, compared to just over 34 percent just two years ago, according to Forbes.

This clearly shows, Generation Z has consistently adhered to the sustainability values, and have also educated and influenced the generations before them. 

What is Sustainable Investing? 

Now let’s examine more closely what “Sustainable Investing” really means.  

Investors employ several strategies to build and diversify their portfolios in order to achieve financial success. Sustainable investing is an emerging trend that is changing the way that businesses and investors think about investments. Basically, Sustainable investing means “the investments made with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.”  

Alternate names: Ethical investing, impact investing, socially responsible investing, values-based investing. 

For example, Tesla (American automotive and clean energy company) has shifted the auto industry to adopt electric vehicles, and Xylem (a large American water technology provider) is funding new systems to transport and purify water to the world’s poor. 

The benefits of sustainable investing extend well beyond making the world a better place by promoting positive social change, and individuals and businesses can both benefit financially by making their investments more sustainable. 

How Forex Trading Can Support Your Sustainable Investing Portfolio 

Trading Forex can offer great opportunities for sustainable investors. All you need to do is be informed about where you put your money. The good news is that it can be compatible in a few different ways: 

• You can invest significantly in currencies that have sustainable policies. 
• It is possible to trade Forex with stocks and indices of companies with good sustainability ratings. 
• Your profits can be used to finance other sustainable investments. 

The best way to trade currencies is to go along with currencies in countries with a good environmental track record, and short with currencies in countries with a bad environmental record. It can be a great way to increase your portfolio without contradicting the goal of promoting sustainability. 

If We have No Money, We’ll Use Other People’s Money 

So, what if one is young and broke? Not a problem when other people’s money (OPM) is available. What draws the interest of millennials and Gen Z to the forex market is exactly because of OPM. 

Despite understanding that OPM or leverage also increases risks, that is not what the young forex traders care about. It hurts more to be broke than not to try anything for a pathway to financial freedom. The philosophy of Robert Kiyosaki from “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” drove the new-age behavior and mindset regarding money. 

“Saving is for losers. You cannot follow your parents’ rules of money. The old rules were you go to school, you get a job, you work hard, you save money and you invest for the long term. But now, the rules are reversed”. — Robert Kiyosaki 

Leverage is viewed as the weapon of the wealthy. Kiyosaki separated debt into 2 categories: good debt and bad debt. Anything that’s used to buy items that will not make you any money is bad debt. On the other hand, good debt is used to create more money than the debt itself. 

With crazy amount of leverage being available to forex traders, why would millennials and Gen Z miss out on using such a powerful weapon? It would then make sense that more and more digital savvy young adults will venture into forex trading as another source of income. 

Millennials and Gen-Z are a big part of Forex trading trend 

Millennials and Gen Z are very different from their predecessors when it comes to investing and how they intend to spend their money. It is apparent that technology plays a significant role in how these two generations view technology, behave at work, and identify opportunities in the digital age. Among the investment opportunities that have gained traction in recent years and that the new generation is most familiar with, is Forex trading. Here’s why! 

Bigger Risk-Takers 

Several new age investors seemed willing to take more risks than older generations who prefer long-term investments. Approximately 49% of Gen Z investors said they would only invest their money in the short run, or for a period of two to five years. About 40% of Gen Zers and Millennials check their investments every day, while only about 20% Gen Xers and Boomers conduct daily check-ins. 

Given the fact that the Forex market is highly volatile, easy to access, and sensitive to global conditions, it is not surprising that millennials and Gen-Z will explore the Forex market and try to capitalize on it.  

Forex trading requires relatively little money to get started, yet offers the chance to make substantial returns, so it is no surprise that youth invest and trade relatively earlier than previous generations. Since they are often described as generations of instant satisfaction, strategic and tactful Forex trading can provide the satisfaction they need if market activity is favorable. 

Time to bid farewell to the typical 9-5 job 

With inflation soaring high, and wages failing to keep up, millennials and Gen Z can no longer be bothered about just saving from measly 9-to-5 wages. What is the meaning of working hard, when even working hard does not produce the kind of wealth to reasonably sustain the lifestyle desired? 

The answer lies in building a pathway towards financial freedom. 

Choose Your Path, or Your Path Shall be Chosen 

“If you do not choose to work on financial freedom, you are on the road to poverty.” 

That mindset became even more apparent with the global pandemic, the economy crashes and rise since year 2020 to date. People simply no longer believe in job stability, and instead have turned to taking risks in order to build a better life. 

Almost every member of the millennial and Gen Z community has been exposed to financial markets of some kind. 

• 73% Gen Z and 66% millennials owned stocks 
• 43% of Forex traders are individuals aged 25-34 years 

• 83% of millennial millionaires hold cryptocurrencies 
• Individual NFT creators have generated 6-figure in USD via a single NFT sale 

Gen-Z and Millennials are smart investors. They want to be their own bosses. As social media has become a means of learning from, emulating, and showcasing success, wealth creation is becoming an everyday activity for many people. The new-gen investors are shattering the societal constructs and preconceptions down as the hyper-connected world offers unprecedented volumes of knowledge at the fingertips 24/7. 

Being some of the most enterprising individuals of our society, the millennial generation and the Gen Z generation are now creating a whole new generation of traders. Investing and trading have also become more popular with the rise of ‘side hustles,’ freelancing, and outsourcing. As individuals strive for greater reward and flexibility in their working lives, technology has been an enabling force behind all of these. In fact, many companies have begun to break away from the typical 9 to 5 work schedule. 

Gig workers, Freelancers need to save 

According to the ADP Research Institute, there are 6 million more gig workers today than a decade ago. Upwork released a survey revealing that some companies have begun hiring more remote freelancers in the wake of the CAVID-19 pandemic. However, gig work didn’t often provide them with a fixed sum and didn’t provide them with any perks compared with regular employees. A survey shows that only 16% of independent gig workers have retirement savings. 

If you’re willing to get a gig career, you have no choice but to save your money and trade it or invest it to prevent going bankrupt.