FinCon 23 In Review: Kids These Days
This year at FinCon 23, Tiller’s team noted a shift in how Gen Z approaches personal finance, influenced by their upbringing immersed in recessions, pandemics, and yes, TikTok.
Last week, some of our team attended FinCon, a conference bringing together financial professionals, content creators, and self-described money nerds.
We met with partners, enjoyed presentations, and had dozens of conversations about the ever-evolving personal finance landscape.
Kids These Days
This year at FinCon, I was particularly struck by the emerging perspectives of people in their mid-20s. They’re getting money information in new ways, yes, sometimes driven by fads and questionable TikTok advice.
But at FinCon I also witnessed Gen Z’s savvy, skeptical, self-reliant money mindset in action.
This generation doesn’t trust the old financial playbooks. They were children during the 2008 financial collapse, and they’re entering adulthood in a post-pandemic economy.
Stable housing, job security, and healthcare feel out of reach for many in this age group.
But surveys by the National Endowment for Financial Education also show how Gen Z feels slightly more optimistic and less controlled by their finances than other generations (PDF link)
Gen Z is also significantly more likely to confidently “make a personal finance decision on saving money with a specific goal” than other generations.
Just as each person has their own money story, each generation inherits its own financial reality. And right now, Gen Z seems focused on forging their own financial path.
And fortunately for Tiller, Gen Z loves Google Sheets. Perhaps that’s no surprise. Spreadsheets have always been a tool for self-reliant people. (Plus, this generation is just leaving school, where many used Google Sheets in class.) Here’s to the next generation of spreadsheet and money nerds.
