it’s a tired narrative → Gen Z is the "digital native" generation. 

born with smartphones. living online. unlimited access to information.

with so much information, why is Z more financially excluded than any generation before?

the numbers don't lie

"debt and low financial literacy" are starting to feel like the "death and taxes" for Gen Z. inevitable. inescapable.

debt → Gen Z , according to Newsweek, carries the highest average personal debt of any generation at $94,101, far above millennials ($59,181) and gen x ($53,255). 

more than half say debt is on their minds most or all of the time, creating perpetual stress.

financial literacy → Z currently has the lowest fin lit rate of any generation at just 38% on the 2025 p-fin index. compare this to 46% for millennials and 55% for baby boomers. (TIAA)

Z supposedly “get” tech better than anyone and have unlimited information around the clock, so why are they struggling with basic money skills more than their parents did?

this isn't a personal failing. it's a systemic one. (we'll get back to this…)

the dropout crisis nobody's talking about

financial stress doesn't exist in a vacuum. it bleeds into everything: mental health, academic performance, life decisions.

30% of students who seriously considered leaving college cited financial challenges as their primary reason. (Inside Higher Ed)

this is more than a statistic. it reveals a generation watching their future slip away because nobody taught them how money actually works.

the ripple effect is massive. when a someone drops out, it can affect their family, their community, and, when it happens enough, the economy.

the wealth-building gap

it gets worse. over half of Gen Z don't have enough emergency savings to cover three months of expenses (Bankrate) and fewer than 20% have contributed to a retirement account in 2025.

43% of Gen Z think social security alone will provide enough income for them to live comfortably in retirement. this is wrong. social security effectively replaces about 40% of your income and nobody wants a side hustle when they're 80. 

nearly half of Gen Z workers have already dipped into their retirement savings and paying off debt is the leading cause.

this isn't about too much avocado toast and lattes. this is about a generation unleashed into adulthood with punishing student debt, unaffordable housing, and financial products designed for Norman Rockwell’s America. traditional products don’t fit gig workers, students, or anyone trying to piece together a handful of variable income streams.

this matters for everyone

when an entire generation can't build wealth, the fallout lands across society.

economic stagnation

if young people can't save, they can't invest. they can't start a business. they can't buy homes. Gen Z is currently spending nearly twice as much as they have in savings. consumer spending (the energy driving economic growth) can only sustain so much headwind before it flickers out. 

widening inequality

those with financially literate parents pull further ahead. those without fall further behind. 47% of Gen Z still receive financial support from family and that number is dropping, and not everyone has that safety net to begin with.

mental health crisis

68% of Gen Z workers anticipate they won't be able to retire comfortably and this continuous stress is a leading contributor to anxiety and depression. we're not just creating a generation of financially excluded young adults, we're creating a mental health crisis embedded in an economic timebomb. 

democratic disengagement

people drowning in financial anxiety don't have the bandwidth to engage civically. they're surviving, not participating. and the quiet loss of hope is a serious threat to democracy itself.

the missing piece

financial education alone isn’t working for enough people. finance apps that just show you where your money went don't change behavior. generic, random advice from financial influencers who don't understand student loans, irregular income, or the reality of making $15 an hour? definitely isn't working

what actually works is clarity. clarity with relevant and timely education.  we need tools that meet people where they are, in this moment, with education that focuses on the specific decision in front of us. we don’t have time or energy for generalized theory.

we need a support layer of behavioral psychology to help us understand, and then control what’s behind the spending decisions we make daily.

clarity to organize confusion into facts.

ownership to turn those facts into action.

a plan to turn that action into simple steps.

independence is is what you build by following that plan over time.

financial skills shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for people who already have money or people with parents who knew ‘the system’.

it should be as common as knowing how to read. and as easy to access as a slice of pizza.

financial inclusion is your right. 

right?

the path forward

solving this isn’t just about building better apps or adding more fin lit courses. those can help, but they’re not enough on their own..we need a new system, a coordinated effort to change how we actually prepare young people for financial independence.

• accepting that “digital native” doesn’t equal “financially capable” and owning the work that needs to be done

• building tools that reduce anxiety instead of creating it (looking at you, uncle cleo)

• meeting young people on the platforms they actually use, with information they can actually trust

• making personalized financial guidance available to everyone, not just people who can afford advisors

• rebuilding trust and improving access to the traditional engines of wealth-building, like higher education and community-focused credit unions.

the cost of financial exclusion isn't just measured in individual bank accounts. it's measured in unrealized potential, abandoned degrees, and a generation that never got a fair shot at building the life they were promised.

we can do better. we have to. 

it will take more than a village.