Recent survey results show Americans, especially younger ones, are integrating socially responsible investing. A sustainable investor preferences questionnaire can help formalize an investor’s sustainability preferences.
The 2024 Schwab Modern Wealth Survey results published in June revealed that Americans are experiencing increasing financial confidence from generation to generation
The 2024 Schwab Modern Wealth Survey results, which were released in early June of this year, revealed that Americans are experiencing increasing financial confidence from generation to generation and younger Americans are investing at an early age. Conducted online from March 4, 2024 to March 18, 2024, the survey included a national sample of 1,000 Americans aged 21 to 75 with an additional 200 Generation Z Americans who completed the study. The following are the survey’s key research findings:
More than 60% of Americans, or nearly three in five Americans, feel they are in a better position to achieve their financial goals than the generations that came before them.
Nearly three in five Americans are investing today.
Investing participation is higher among older generations, but younger generations are beginning to invest sooner.
More than a quarter of Gen Z were taught about investing in school, significantly more than older generations. Also, these investors are taking advantage of more widely available investment advice, educational resources, and investing tools.
Just 36% of Americans have a written financial plan.
50% of Americans believe they have more ways to build wealth
When asked why they are in better financial shape than previous generations, the Schwab survey indicates that 50% of Americans believe they have more ways to build wealth, 46% believe that they have increased accessibility to investing and the same percentage responded that they have additional investment options available to them. In this connection, industry changes like lower costs and minimums to invest and get advice, broader access to sophisticated platforms and tools, a proliferation of investing information such as research and educational content, and significant product innovations have all made investing more accessible than ever before.
Across all generations, nearly 70% of Americans are confident in their investment strategy
Across all generations, nearly 70% of Americans are confident in their investment strategy. Top reasons cited include the availability of financial advice and knowledge (51%) and the ability to easily research companies and investments (37%). Gen Z, who are the most confident of the generations (71%), say that learning about investing at an early age is the biggest reason for their confidence, and more than a quarter report that they were taught about investing in school, significantly more than older generations. In fact, roughly half of all those who are not confident in their investment strategy say that not being taught about investments at a young age by parents or family or not being taught about investments in school are their top reasons for lack of investing confidence.
American investors today, particularly younger ones, are also exploring a wider range of investing strategies, including socially responsible investing
In addition to taking advantage of more widely available investment advice, educational resources, and investing tools, American investors today, particularly younger ones, are also exploring a wider range of investing strategies. Though buy and hold (56%) and growth investing (53%) are the most common approaches, Schwab’s survey shows Americans are also integrating more recent innovations in the investing space such as fractional share investing (37%), direct indexing (32%), socially responsible investing (31%), automated or robo-advisor investing (28%), and thematic investing (25%) into their strategies. Regarding socially responsible investing, Gen Z and Millennial investors are more likely to embrace this form of investing. 43% of Gen Z investors and 45% of Millennials indicated that they rely on some form of socially responsible investing approach.
Sustainable investors would benefit from a periodic check-up of their sustainable investing preferences while new investors can profit from a formalized evaluation of their sustainable investing preferences
Investors currently employing a socially responsible investing approach and an increasing number of investors, particularly younger ones, as well as financial intermediaries who may wish to explore responsible investing or additional sustainable investing approaches, could benefit from a periodic check-up of their sustainable investing preferences while new investors can profit from a formalized evaluation of their sustainable investing preferences. To this end, investors and financial intermediaries can take advantage of the updated Sustainable Investing Questionnaire prepared by Sustainable Research and Analysis. The Sustainable Investor Preferences Questionnaire is designed to assess an investor’s interest in and preferences for sustainable investing. The analysis and resulting profile allows investors and financial intermediaries to reflect and translate an investor’s individual sustainable preferences into a tailor-made investment program that fits into a broader recommended asset allocation strategy.
Sustainable Investing Questionnaire: Sustainable Investing Preferences
