Money Management for Gen Z: A Friendly Guide

Last Updated on Oct 3, 2022 by Aradhana Gotur

“I prefer spending on experiences”. “I prefer individuality and authenticity over a brand that doesn’t stand for a cause”. “I prefer convenience over everything else but don’t fear juggling multiple jobs if it supports my beliefs”. That’s Gen Z for you. They may be your children, your grandchildren or your siblings. And if luck has it, they may be ‘you’ – on a quest to find a guide on money management for Gen Z.

So go on, read what values and characteristics shape Gen Z, what defines their financial behaviours, and how best you can manage your personal finance to enjoy a comfortable life.

Gen Z meaning?

Gen Z or Generation Z is anyone born between 1997 and 2012, following the Millenials. The oldest of the Gen Zs would be aged 25 this year.

Indian Gen Z

India is the second most populated country in the world and is home to a fifth of the world’s population. As per the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects, over 50% of our population is aged below 25 and over 65% below 35. In 2020, the average age of an Indian was 29 yrs.

These facts clearly indicate that the population is dominated by millennials and Gen Z in India. And Gen Z will gradually overtake the millennials in the coming years.

India has undergone drastic demographic changes in the last two decades, given the advancement of technology and its implications on the members of Gen Z, which has increased substantially in the previous decade.

Make way for Gen Z, you all!

If anything, Gen Z is not the one to blindly eat what is served (not literally). They would evaluate its authenticity, the quality and source of the ingredients, their health benefits, and so on. This is because they are driven by values and causes, like to experience things, and are not afraid to take risks. And they are very much driven by instant gratification 🙂 That’s a Gen Z-er for you in a nutshell. But there’s more to them than what’s on the surface.

Gen Z characteristics

1. Gen Z is the first generation to grow up in a digital world. Therefore, their view on finance, career, and other life aspects may differ from their forefathers
2. The exposure to the internet right from their formative years has allowed Gen Z to question and evaluate things and make informed decisions
3. Gen Z prefers convenience over everything else but isn’t afraid to sweat if it means they can experience something they desire
4. Like Millennials, they also love spending on experiences even if it means paying a premium
5. They have an everlasting quest for truth. They value authenticity and are driven by social causes. They like to solve conflicts and make the world a better place to live
6. Gen Z doesn’t run behind brands like the Millennials but values individual expression. So you may see them shopping for personalised products
7. They are the most open-minded of the generations and love to use technology in solving problems  

Gen Z and finances

According to ‘The 2022 Investopedia Financial Literacy Survey’, Generation Z adults—those aged between 18 and 25 yrs—were found to be more financially sophisticated than the previous generation at their age. The survey also highlights that although many Gen Z adults have already invested in the stock market, only a few have a sound understanding of the stock market.

And this may be because Gen Z is exposed to a lot of information on the internet. So you possibly know the most about finance at your age than your forefathers. However, knowing a lot doesn’t necessarily mean knowing it well, which is why you may have a scope to learn.

Gen Z prefers saving over spending

According to a study by Viral Fission, a youth community platform, about 32% of India’s Generation Z surveyed are inclined toward saving money rather than spending it. About 23% of the respondents preferred the safety of fixed deposits, and half of them said they would invest in cryptocurrencies.

Note that savings are merely setting aside money and parking it in bank accounts, while investing is allocating it among financial instruments. The survey was conducted when the Indian economy was recovering from the pandemic, which may have played an important role in Gen Z’s attitude towards personal finance. It may have motivated them to spend more responsibly.

Coming to spending, about a fourth of the ~5,800 respondents said they would spend their money on travel and less than 13% mentioned shopping.

Gen Z spending habits

In line with their philosophy and characteristics, their spending habits, as per a report by Mckinsey, are:

1. Gen Z consumers don’t decide on the fly. Their purchases are based on information and evaluation.
2. Gen Z values self-expression, so they consume more personalised products, albeit at a premium.  
3. Gen Z stands for causes, and so they favour brands that associate with one. They would rather a brand’s actions match its ideals.

This indicates that as a Gen Z-er, you may not mind paying a few hundred rupees more for the sake of convenience and the experience. But in the long run, such repeat purchases can weigh heavily on your budget. This may be just one financial mistake that you are making unknowingly. However, there are more. Fortunately, we have you covered with financial tips and hacks to overcome them.

Money management tips for the Gen Z

The oldest Gen Z-er will be 25 yrs old in 2022. If you are one, you may be in the early stages of your career, which is the best time to make money mistakes and learn from them. Here are some financial tips for the Indian Gen Z:

1. Stack up your emergency fund 🌧️ 

One can’t stress enough the importance of having an emergency fund. As a Gen Z-er who may have entered the workforce recently, you may have seen your older colleagues talking about how they could fall back on their emergency fund during uncertain days of the pandemic. Loss of jobs, unplanned hospital bills, and so on are unprecedented necessities that require significant spending.

So if there was no emergency fund in place, how could one meet these expenses? Dip from savings and investments meant for specific goals? Wouldn’t that postpone their timeline? That is why having an emergency fund is important. To hold your fort strong in cases of contingencies and keep yourself from getting in between your financial goals and yourself.

2. Create a monthly budget 📖

This one, too, can’t be stressed enough. A budget is a financial plan that details your income and expenditure for a predetermined period. Think of the ‘budget’ as a guiding light, the “northern star”, if you may! If you follow the budget religiously, you will develop financial discipline, a prerequisite to enjoying financial freedom.

A budget can be monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually. But if you are a salaried individual and earn a monthly income. It is brief and easy to account for how you spend your income in a given month.

When creating a budget, you can turn to your spreadsheet best friend, use budgeting software or install a mobile application that serves the purpose. Whatever the medium, when you create a budget, stick to it.

Here’s an illustrative monthly budget:

Budget for January 2023
Particulars	Particulars	Rs.
Total monthly income		–
Total monthly expenses		–
Balance		–
Income sources	Fixed
1	Salary	35,000
2	Dividend	1,000
	Variable
1	Dividend	1,000
(A)	Total	37,000
Expenses	Fixed
1	Grocery	5,000
2	Rent	10,000
3	Phone and internet bill	500
4	EMI	3500
5	Life insurance premium	2,000
6	OTT subscription	200
7	Mutual Fund SIP	1,500
8	Contribution to emergency fund	1,500
9	Contribution to retirement fund	1,500
(B)	Total fixed expenses	25,700
	Variable
1	Transportation expenses	2,000
2	Utility bills	1,500
3	Entertainment and dining	3,000
4	Medical expenses	300
5	Repairs	1,000
(C)	Total variable expenses	7,800
(D)	Total monthly expense (B) + (C)	33,500
(E)	Balance money in hand for the period (A) – (D)	3,500

As a beginner, you may exceed your budget for the initial few months. But instead of giving up, take these as learnings and improve your ways, so you are more financially disciplined with every passing month.

3. Plan the repayment of education loan 🎓

In recent years, higher education has become more of a necessity than a privilege because of several reasons. But there’s no denying the fact that higher education has become quite expensive compared to the years gone by. Depending on your parents’ affordability, you may or may not have availed an education loan to fund your expenses.

But if you have availed an education loan, repaying it should be a priority in your monthly budget. If you are punctual in EMI payments, you will avoid hefty penalties. If your income permits, you can also consider prepaying your loan as and when you get a hike. Ultimately, the sooner you close the loan, the sooner you will free yourself from your debt burden.

Be informed that some banks impose prepayment charges to compensate for their interest loss. In any case, do the math and see how much you can really save. If costs overweigh your benefits, you may continue paying your EMI as per the schedule throughout the initial tenure. If benefits are more than the cost, you can repay the loan ahead of the tenure.

If your repayment plan isn’t working well for you, consider refinancing your loan. While at it, look for lenders offering a lower interest rate. If your credit score has improved from when you had availed the loan, lenders may take that as a positive sign and offer better repayment terms.

4. Avoid unsolicited advice at all times 💁‍♀️

As a Gen Z-er, you are exposed to the internet full of self-proclaimed experts in finance, especially the stock market. Many with little to no finance knowledge or experience are preaching best practices about money management, valuing a stock or even picking one to invest in.

To add to this, you may have your friends, relatives or acquaintances sharing with you their triumph in the market based on one or two instances of profitable investments. But that doesn’t make them an expert.

And although you question before acting, doing your own research goes a long way in dodging unwanted risks and avoiding losses. If you are not confident about the markets, you can seek professional advice from a proven or licensed expert. In the true sense, an expert is one that has relevant, substantial education and demonstrated experience in a domain.

A little later, read more on four people from whom you should avoid seeking financial advice even if they have their hearts in a good place or pose themselves as an expert.

5. Count on the power of compounding 🕰 

Even if you are a 23-yr-old Gen Z-er with a moderate income, you have 38 yrs until you turn 60! That’s a lot of time to grow your wealth, thanks to the power of compounding.

So the earlier you start investing, the more time your wealth will have to grow. The reason is simple. Money gets compounded over time.

And when you are early in your career, you have fewer responsibilities, allowing you to save and invest more. Here’s an example. Let’s say that you are 25-yr old and want to accumulate a retirement fund. Considering you wish to retire at 60, you have 35 yrs to invest and let your money grow. If you delay investing by 10 yrs, your money will only have 25 yrs to grow. The time for your money to grow will reduce.

Assuming you are investing Rs. 5,000 per month for 35 yrs at an interest rate of 10% that gets compounded annually, you will accumulate Rs. 1,62,61,462.11 on maturity. But if you invest Rs. 5,000 for 25 yrs, other things remain the same; you will accumulate Rs. 59,00,823.57 on maturity. A delay of 10 yrs will cost you Rs. 1,03,60,638.54! Just remember, the early bird catches the worm, the best one!

6. Create a financial plan 💰

Be it food, healthcare, travel, clothing, housing, you just name it – everything is expensive. Meeting all these expenses with your monthly income may seem challenging, especially as you have just started out in your career. Plus, having an education loan to repay when starting off your career can only get overwhelming.

This is the only sign that you need to have a solid financial plan in place. A financial plan doesn’t necessarily have to be fixed. In fact, it changes with your changing situation. But for now, draw up a financial plan after considering your current financial situation, long-term monetary goals, and strategies to achieve them.

7. Act now, start planning your retirement 🏖️

Retirement may seem far away but remember, “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”. You may not feel the heat now but will certainly feel it when you start approaching your retirement at a freakingly faster pace. That’s what happens when you have to save for multiple goals, including retirement planning, simultaneously – time flies swiftly.

So you would be doing yourself a favour by contributing to your retirement fund from the day you get your first paycheck. Figure out what kind of lifestyle you wish to lead after retirement, how much money you’ll need to live that lifestyle, and other important aspects.

You don’t have to get your retirement plan right in the first go. In fact, you can’t get it right the first time because your life will change multifold in the years to come. And most of these changes will tweak your retirement plans in some way. So have a basic plan in place and improvise on the go.

Behavioural changes for better money management

1. Tire your muscles; it is healthy 🙂

As a Gen Z, you may focus on convenience over everything else. But know that convenience is luxury, simply because of how much it costs. Look at the ways in which you buy convenience – get food and grocery at your doorstep. Breach your budget on that expensive jacket because you can swap your spare cash meant for something else. Yes, that’s a convenience too! But what you’re paying, in turn, are delivery charges on multiple instances and the financial discipline required to meet your goals.

So consider flexing your muscles. Buy groceries on the way back home from work, pick up your milk in the morning after your jog, and buy clothes only when needed (maybe in your neighbourhood mall if you are ready to go that extra mile in tiring your muscle). In short, cut convenience costs when you can. Try it once – the joy of doing it all in person. That’s surely an experience, right?

2. Cook your own food, earn more health points 🍛

If your life revolves around ‘food’, that is to say, if you are a foodie, and you do most of the eating outside, you are spending a ton of money on it. Sure, eating out can be convenient and also give you instant gratification. Chances are, as a Gen Z, you may go all out on trying new cuisines as a way of experiencing new cultures.

Your friendly food delivery apps make it all very simple for you. You get a host of options on your screen. All you need to do is authorise your transaction, and done! Your food will be at your doorstep in just a while. You may repeat this process but also spend at every chance.

While there’s no harm in exploring your desires, the sheer amount of money you spend on these repeated orders could account for a significant portion of your budget. That’s not all. Eating outside regularly is not healthy. And what would be the cost of this? Several trips to a clinic should you have a deficiency of vital minerals and vitamins. And spending money on supplements to solve the issue.

What if you had directed this money to your goals instead? Do you see what we are hinting at?

So what is the best way of maintaining the happiness of your taste buds and tummy and appealing to your sense of gratification while saving money? “Cook your food”. You know! Of course, cooking your food doesn’t mean not eating outside at all. It just means reserving those instances for special occasions.

Look at cooking as a skill that can not only make you healthy and appeal to your need for instant gratification but also help save money. So take some cooking lessons from your folks and friends while you set up a kitchen for yourself. If no one else, turn to YouTube! Once you start cooking your own food, you will see the amount of money you end up saving in just a few months. And remember, money saved is money earned in many cases.

3. Go for affordable authenticity; values need not drain your finances 😏 

As a Gen Z-er, you may not be the one to chase brands but you sure like to express yourself by buying products and services from brands that are in line with your values. It’s all good until you start losing track of your budget.

“Living within your means” should be your mantra for setting a strong financial foundation in your early years. Doing this will keep you on track financially, so you don’t have to compromise on more important goals shortly.

4. Befriend discipline and commitment ⌛

To achieve any goal or form a new habit, it takes discipline and commitment. The same is required in personal finance. If you are enticed to buy that expensive pair of shoes when you don’t need one, summon your discipline. If you want to accumulate funds for the downpayment of your car, make sure you are committed to it and exercise financial discipline in saving for it. 

And if these behavioural changes seem difficult to implement, enforce them by using virtual tools such as budgeting software, a savings plan on your bank’s mobile application, and an expense tracker. Live paycheck to paycheck now so you can achieve your dream way ahead of time.

Moreover, you can also choose to automate your discipline without putting in much effort. All you have to do is set a standing instruction for your EMIs and SIPs, and you are sorted to an extent. So even if you forget to invest or make a debt repayment, your bank will do it on your behalf and save you.

5. Get past ‘living in the present’ for your own good 🚀

One cannot underestimate the power of living in the moment for one’s mental health. However, inflation doesn’t live in the moment; it soars. So it is important to get past the living in the moment lifestyle for your finance’s sake.

Otherwise, you can be in danger of filling your cart to your heart’s fill just because you want to live in the present and end up incurring a hefty ‘buy now pay later’ bill. Because you want to live in the moment. Unfortunately, you haven’t budgeted for the expenses.

People you shouldn’t seek financial advice from

1. Your co-workers and close friends

As you spend most of your entire day with your co-workers, you will be exposed to many different opinions, suggestions and recommendations on various subjects, including finance. But unless they are not licensed, qualified or adequately experienced in the field, it is best not to act on their advice.

Another reason not to take their advice is that you are a different individual with unique goals that will differ from theirs. You may have more responsibilities to meet, whereas they may have fewer. This may allow them to take a higher risk, but you must take calculated chances. The same goes for your close friends.

An added cause of concern here is that any adverse turn your money takes after acting on their advice can impact your friendship. If you still think they give good advice, listen to them but act only after you have done your own research.

2. Family members

There’s no denying that family members have a personal stake in your life. And so, they can be overly cautious when it comes to your finances. Their heart may be in the right place. But shouldn’t you be taking a little more risk and giving your money a higher chance to grow than parking it in traditional avenues?

Moreover, their preference of how you should lead your life may also influence their suggestions for you. Sure, there can be exceptions to this, but you need to have your own back. Because you know best about your risk tolerance, goals, and what you need to achieve them.

A financial advisor has no personal stake in your financial life. Their job is to be objective and help you meet your financial goals. That’s the only stake they have. Can you expect the same objectivity for a family member?

3. People with more money than you

If a friend, family member, or acquaintance is richer than you, it doesn’t warranty that they are doing the right thing with their money. Regardless of how rich a person is, anyone is prone to making financial mistakes. But the rich have an advantage – they have a thicker foam to absorb their mistakes.

Moreover, you may not know their financial situation as is. What is the source of their wealth? Do they have debt? These are a few questions for which the answers you may not find. So best to leave their advice; only take it if it is genuine.

4. People who sell financial products

Those who sell financial products may not necessarily know them as an expert does. If someone is paid to offer financial advice to you, chances are they just know the product on the surface and not in depth. Try asking them questions, and see if their answers are satisfactory. More often than not, they reveal their own expertise.

At other times, such a person may be experienced and know all the products in-depth, but they may have a conflict of interest. They could earn a higher commission on selling a particular product over the others. Naturally, they would have their own best interest in their hearts and sell you the product that earns them a higher commission instead of the one that is best for you. So evaluate your financial advisor wisely after shopping around.

Where can Gen Z-er invest?

The market offers a host of investments that you can choose from. 

1. Fixed Deposits (FD)

Having entered the workforce at a time of high uncertainty due to the pandemic and being haunted due to a possible recession in the US and Europe markets can make it difficult to trust high-risk finance investments. But know that you need to take higher risks to enjoy higher returns. But most importantly, you need to have the low-risk portion of your investment portfolio stacked up before you dive into high-risk ones like mutual funds, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs.

The solution? FD. A fixed deposit has been the best friend of your forefathers. Ask them. At their time, an FD would give a return as high as 15%. But that was close to a decade before. Nonetheless, an FD is an excellent way to cushion your investment portfolio from high-risk investments. FDs give modest but assured returns. And most importantly, it offers the safety of capital invested.

When to invest in an FD?

Consider parking your emergency funds in a few FDs spread across varied tenures and reinvest them on maturity. Don’t make any withdrawals unless an emergency rings.

2. Mutual funds

Mutual funds are known to be excellent diversification vehicles. These invest in multiple instruments ranging from equity, debt, and fixed instruments, depending on their objective. By doing this, they optimise returns and minimise losses.

You can use Tickertape’s Mutual Fund Screener, built with over 45 filters. This helps you filter mutual fund schemes based on your preference. You can further evaluate individual schemes using the relevant Mutual Fund Page to assess the viability of investing in them.

Depending on its underlying asset, a mutual fund can be of various types. A few of them are:

a. Liquid funds

These are debt funds that invest in fixed-interest and money market instruments. They have a shorter maturity period and lower return of interest. As the name suggests, liquid funds offer high liquidity, i.e., easy access to your funds.

When to invest in liquid funds?

Consider investing in liquid funds for emergencies as they offer relatively higher safety of investment with modest returns. Remember, the aim is to enjoy easy access to funds for an emergency than to earn higher returns.

b. Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS)

These are equity mutual funds that not only offer relatively higher returns than other variants but also help you save tax. ELSS invests at least 80% of the total assets in equity, which makes it highly risky. It has a lock-in period of 3 yrs.

When to invest in tax-saving mutual funds/ELSS?

Consider investing in ELSS after you have a sizable emergency fund. Since equity has the potential to offer higher returns but at high risk, it is best to invest in ELSS for long-term goals and wealth creation purposes.

c. Equity funds

These are equity mutual funds that invest in stocks of companies but don’t offer tax benefits. Due to their underlying asset class, equity funds are highly risky but can potentially offer higher returns as well.

When to invest in tax-saving mutual funds/ELSS?

Consider investing in equity funds after having an emergency fund in place. Invest in these for long-term goals and wealth creation purposes.

3. Stocks or equity

Also known as shares, stocks are part of a company’s capital. The shareholder gets ownership and voting rights in the company. Historically, stocks have been known for offering higher returns than most other investments in the long term. The best way to invest in stocks is after thoroughly analysing the company’s fundamental analysis.

You can use Tickertape’s Stock Screener, built with over 200 filters. This helps you discover stocks based on your preference. Using the relevant Stock Page, you can evaluate individual stocks to assess whether they would be a good investment based on your risk profile, return expectation, and investing theme.

As a Gen-Z er, if you like investing based on themes, you can use the Pre-Built Screens that give you a curated list of stocks based on an idea in no time. Explore Money Minter, Cash Rich Large Caps, and other Screeners now!

What’s more, you can also transact on Tickertape without jumping to your broker platform using the Basket and Transaction feature. We know that you love convenience. So why add your favourite stocks to the Basket and buy them all in one transaction? Go on, save your energy for other tasks. Try it 🙂

When to invest in stocks?

Consider stocks if you want to earn a higher return than a mutual fund offers. But be informed that these come with a higher risk too. Due to their volatile nature, investing in equity for the long-term is the best approach. So invest in them for long-term goals and wealth creation. Basic to advanced market knowledge is good to have.

4. ETFs

Exchange traded funds are pooled investments similar to mutual funds. These are traded on stock exchanges like shares. ETFs track a stock index, commodities, and an index fund. Therefore, the price of an ETF is almost in line with the price of the tracking asset or index. Use Tickertape ETF Pages to evaluate an option before investing. 

5. smallcase

A smallcase is a basket of stocks that help you build a diversified, low-cost and long-term portfolio based on an idea. So when you are investing in a smallcase, you are basically investing in an idea, which earns you returns. Examples of smallcases are: Rising Rural Demand, which benefits from growing rural consumption; All Weather Investing, whose idea is low-risk investing in a mix of equity, fixed income, and gold ETFs.

6. Bonds

These are safer than equity as the returns are fixed throughout the tenure. Bonds can be issued by private companies or the government and traded through stock exchanges. The issuer of bonds offers regular coupons (or interest) to the holder till maturity. The bond market has low volatility compared to the stock market.

7. Derivatives

Derivatives are basically contracts between two parties. The value of a derivative is derived from the underlying assets, which can be bonds, stocks, and commodities. These are riskier than their equity since they come with an expiry.

When to invest in derivatives?

Only invest in derivatives if you understand them well and have the stomach to digest the high risk.

Should personal finance be taught in schools

Given that the youngest of Gen Z is aged 10, an obvious question that may come to our mind is whether Gen Z should be taught finance in schools. Well, the answer would be yes. Firstly, knowing finance is a necessity and not just a ‘good to have’. It is a life skill.

The internet is filled with a lot of information on finance, some factually true and accurate, while some are just opinions of self-proclaimed experts. Having finance as a subject in school would help Gen Z to distinguish between what is correct and incorrect when it comes to financial concepts and best practices. It also prepares them to plan a better financial future for themselves.  

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)