A Cry for Financial Help From Millennials

I met yesterday afternoon with a friend who is trying to help a charity flourish. We talked about ways to use the internet to further the charity’s cause.

We sat outside a cafe on an unseasonable warm day here in New York, and at one point, as she sipped an iced tea, she told me how this charity was part of a larger network of charities that was largely run by, as she described it, “old guys.”

“They think that young people today just don’t care,” she said, “and they think that is why thy don’t give as much” charity.

There seems to be a parallel notion in banking, that “young people” today care less about their financial future, that they think “everything is coming to them.” To me, this thinking is nothing more than stereotyping. Under the radar, a fascinating study was released last month by Microsoft that tells a different story, and that story is that Millenials (18 to 29 year olds) are actually scared about their financial future and are all but crying out for help.

Of the 500 interviewees, 85% said they were “concerned about my own financial future,” and another 75% are “unsure about where to turn for reliable financial advice.” Taken together, these two admissions offer a powerful statement about the current mindset of Millenials. Put another way, they know they need help; they just don’t know to whom they can turn.

They certainly don’t see banks as the answer. In the past year, 59% of them said that their “level of trust in the US financial services industry” has “decreased.” Who do they trust? Their parents (81%), their friends (71%). 64% say they trust their financial institutions, such as banks.

Why is that trust factor lower? 92% — 92%! — say the financial institutions need to “admit mistakes immediately when they happen.” They (89%) also suggest that banks “create simpler and clearer materials explaining financial risks, etc.,” and (86%) “being more open and transparent by sharing free information.”

I found this interesting — and valuable. These Millennials, these same people who “think everything is coming to them,” are actually articulating a very clear and cogent roadmap for banks to follow to win their business. They are saying, just be upfront with us, just be honest.

They are also telling banks how to convey that. 75% of the respondents said that they would find monthly emails “useful and valuable.” And 67% favored online chats with customer service reps.

So these Millennials, these “young people today,” they are sending a clear message:

1) I need help;
2) I can’t get the help I need from financial institutions;
3) If financial institutions were simply more honest and upfront, I would trust them more; and
4) If you want to foster a relationship with me, use email and online chat.

It’s a simple formula that is being presented. I just hope bankers will notice.