{"id":503907,"date":"2026-06-21T12:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/503907\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T12:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:05:08","slug":"edward-jones-advisor-gen-z-doesnt-want-an-office-happy-hour-they-want-financial-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/503907\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward Jones advisor: Gen-Z doesn\u2019t want an office happy hour. They want financial security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gen Z is among the most\u00a0financially anxious<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0financially proactive<\/a>\u00a0generations. They hold \u201cadmin nights<\/a>\u201d to check things off their to-do lists, track every dollar and have even turned 401(k)s into ironic\u00a0status symbols<\/a>. Despite their efforts, many still feel they\u2019re falling behind.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve weathered market volatility, a pandemic and rising living costs \u2014 and fixed expenses often hit before their first paycheck even settles. As a financial advisor, I\u2019ve never seen a generation so eager to build a future, yet so unsure whether that future is attainable.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a02025 research<\/a>\u00a0from Edward Jones<\/a> and Morning Consult, nearly a third of Americans have their first investment experience through their jobs. Yet nearly four in five Gen Z-ers still don\u2019t contribute to a workplace retirement plan \u2014 a gap that represents both a crisis and an opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This generation craves a future worth preparing for, and employers have a unique opportunity to provide financial access and education that can help get them there.<\/p>\n

401(k)s are \u201cin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retirement plans \u2014 often an investor\u2019s first experience with wealth building \u2014 have become\u00a0prized\u00a0for\u00a0a generation where stability is a status symbol. \u201cSoft saving\u201d \u2014 prioritizing stability and wellbeing now while saving modestly \u2014 is a rational response to frequent shocks and high living costs. Even starting small but consistently saving can help create financial stability and the freedom to pursue other goals with confidence.<\/p>\n

Gen Z is looking to employers to help them make smart financial decisions the easy default and reduce decision fatigue. Employers can better support Gen Z by offering ways to automate savings and gradually increase contributions as income grows. Edward Jones and Morning Consult found that 66% of Gen\u00a0Z-ers\u00a0say they\u2019d be more likely to\u00a0participate\u00a0in a workplace retirement plan if enrollment were easier.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

More than a benefit, a 401(k) plan is a retention strategy: according to a\u00a02025 Deloitte survey<\/a>, by offering high-quality retirement plans, employer matching contributions and financial education resources, employers can help employees build greater financial confidence while strengthening engagement and retention. The tax advantages are also a win for employees and employers alike.<\/p>\n

Make saving make sense<\/p>\n

According to a recent\u00a0Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America study<\/a>, about 6 in 10 Gen Z-ers have hit the brakes on their retirement savings within the past year, citing current financial pressures.<\/p>\n

That pause is a signal, not a verdict. In my experience, the most successful young investors are consistent with their contributions, but financial education is what will help build their willingness and confidence to stay the course.<\/p>\n

Many retirement plans provide access to financial education to help employees make informed decisions about saving, investing and planning for retirement \u2013 ideally resulting in greater employee satisfaction and productivity. New solutions like those from\u00a0Addition Wealth<\/a>, a financial engagement and education platform used among Edward Jones practice teams and backed by\u00a0Edward Jones Ventures<\/a>, the firm\u2019s venture capital arm, are making that education more differentiated and accessible at scale.<\/p>\n

Employers who modernize now can build a more resilient, engaged workforce for today and the future.<\/p>\n

Make advice accessible<\/p>\n

Gen Z is a\u00a0financially proactive generation<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 interested in finance, willing to talk openly about financial struggles and engaging financial advisors sooner than previous generations. Still, a new Edward Jones and Gallup studyrevealed only\u00a014%<\/a>\u00a0seek guidance from a professional advisor.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the gap a strong workplace financial wellness program can help close. While a financial advisor can help guide Gen Z with saving and investing early in their careers, they can also help employers compare plans, understand the trade-offs, and choose a plan that aligns employees needs with business objectives.<\/p>\n

Gen Z isn\u2019t asking for an office happy hour. They\u2019re asking for a fighting chance. If employers meet their ambition with real financial tools, not platitudes, this generation won\u2019t just survive the economy they\u2019re inheriting. They\u2019ll transform it.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: The author is a financial advisor at Edward Jones, whose proprietary research is cited in this commentary. Nothing herein constitutes personalized investment advice. The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of\u00a0Fortune.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gen Z is among the most\u00a0financially anxious\u00a0and\u00a0financially proactive\u00a0generations. They hold \u201cadmin nights\u201d to check things off their to-do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[114,268,4197,85,46,266,267],"class_list":["post-503907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-finance","tag-gen-z","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}