Most Gen Z investors think less than a year ahead when making financial decisions

Generation Z isn’t sitting on the sidelines when it comes to their finances. They’re the generation working the hardest to get ahead – seeking out higher-paying jobs, building additional income streams and investing in skills that could increase their earning potential. But despite all this activity, financial pressures are making it difficult for many young adults to translate their ambition into a long-term financial strategy, according to Nationwide Financial’s Growth & Protection Index powered by the Nationwide Retirement Institute.

In the past year, more than two-thirds (68%) of Gen Z adults looked for higher-paying jobs or additional income, as opposed to only 56% of Millennials. Half (50%) of Gen Z adults also earned money beyond their primary income source and more than a third (34%) invested time or money in building skills to increase their earning potential.

Yet Gen Z’s score on Nationwide Financial’s Growth and Protection Index is 49, only modestly more growth-oriented than Millennials (50) and Gen X (52). The Index places Americans on a scale of zero to 100, with a score of zero indicating a complete focus on growing assets and a score of 100 indicating a complete focus on protecting what they have.

This score suggests that while Gen Z is taking action to improve their finances, the activity isn’t translating into a dramatically more growth-oriented financial posture. Immediate financial pressures may be getting in the way, with nearly seven in 10 Gen Z adults experiencing a significant increase in essential living expenses in the last year, and 46% worrying about their finances every day. Those pressures are also shortening their view of the future: 61% primarily make financial decisions looking less than a year ahead.

“Gen Z’s score on our index is surprising because you might expect younger adults to be much more focused on wealth accumulation,” said Craig Hawley, President and COO of Nationwide Financial. “But younger generations are facing more immediate demands on their money, from basic necessities to student loan debt, making it harder to focus on long-term financial planning. This mindset could represent a missed opportunity for a generation who has the benefit of more time before their retirement, meaning money invested today has longer to compound as they build their retirement nest egg.”

Gen Z wants financial guidance, highlighting an opportunity for advisors and employer-sponsored retirement plans

Gen Z’s short planning horizon isn’t a sign of low financial ambition. In fact, despite their shorter planning horizons, Gen Z appears unusually receptive to professional financial guidance. Nearly half (45%) say they want to work with a financial professional, compared with just 30% of consumers overall.

For financial professionals, Gen Z's willingness to accept counsel creates an opportunity, but serving this generation may require a different approach. While Gen Z is already taking steps to improve their financial situation, many lack a long-term framework that connects individual actions to where they want to be years from now.

“There is a clear opportunity for advisors and plan sponsors to meet Gen Z where they are with actionable guidance,” Hawley said. “This group needs help striking the right balance between addressing immediate financial obligations and taking advantage of longer-term investment opportunities. That could mean helping young clients determine how much to keep accessible for near-term needs, where they can afford to take risks, and how to identify a portion of their income to invest for the future. This group may also benefit from education around the power of compounding interest, and a deeper understanding of how their longer time horizon makes them better positioned to weather short-term market volatility than older generations who are closer to retirement.”

To learn more about the first-ever Nationwide Financial Growth & Protection Index, view an infographic, review the data or view a blog post from Craig Hawley.

Methodology
The Nationwide Financial Growth & Protection Index research was conducted online in the United States among 2,000 adults age 22 and older. The survey was fielded May 1–14, 2026. Respondents were nationally representative by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, employment status and income level. The Index measures how consumers balance financial growth and financial protection by evaluating responses across three dimensions: mindset, actions and confidence. Individual pillar scores were weighted and combined to produce an overall Index score ranging from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating a stronger growth orientation and higher scores indicating a stronger protection orientation.