Gen Z challenges traditional financial strategies amid economic uncertainty

12 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Apr 25

UK Gen Z are rejecting university, home ownership, and stable careers, with 56% aged 18-34 investing, and 57% of US Gen Z holding side hustles, according to 2025 studies.
Many cite high student debt, stagnant graduate salaries, and unaffordable housing as reasons for abandoning parental advice, instead pursuing entrepreneurship, early investing, and skill-building outside traditional paths.
Parents increasingly feel unqualified to advise their children financially, as rapid economic shifts outpace conventional wisdom, prompting both generations to seek new approaches to financial literacy and security.

Is Gen Z's side-hustle economy a smart adaptation or a trap of endless, precarious work in an AI-driven world?

Is rejecting a university degree a brilliant financial move or a gamble that will cost Gen Z in the long run?

Are parents helping their children by funding their lives, or are they just delaying an inevitable financial reckoning for everyone?

With homeownership now a fantasy for many, what will replace it as the new cornerstone of personal wealth?

When TikTok and AI become financial advisors, who is responsible when the advice inevitably goes wrong for young investors?

Could 'disillusiononomics' be the spark for the next major social movement as traditional life goals become unattainable?