Millennials Want Employer Help With Financial Matters

Broadly, Millennials are positive about the future with 70% optimistic about their financial prospects; however, this optimism is tempered with concerns about their ability to meet all of their financial goals, according to a supplement report to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s 2017 Workplace Benefits Report.

The research finds that Millennials’ sense of realism about their situation leads to a generation of employees who are more engaged with their finances. Millennials want help that goes beyond retirement topics and empowers them to more effectively manage their finances today, while still saving for the future. They also tend to be more engaged and participate at higher levels in employer-sponsored savings plans and want to get help with financial matters in the workplace.

Millennials expect that 65% of their retirement income will come from personal sources, compared to 55% for Generation Xers and 40% for Baby Boomers. Millennials also expect that 24% of their retirement income will come from continued work, compared to 19% for Generation Xers and 13% for Baby Boomers.

Forty-three percent of Millennials say they need help managing their efforts to save for retirement, while 40% want help with good general savings habits. Thirty-eight percent want help with paying down or managing debt, and 31% want help with budgeting.

Nearly half (48%) of Millennials want their employers to provide access to a financial professional to create a personalized financial strategy; 46% want employers to bring in financial experts to provide general training and education about financial matters; and 45% want education and training tailored to age or current financial issues they’re facing.

Millennials also say they want help via multiple channels: online, in-person, on a mobile device, in a seminar at work and online webinars.

More findings can be found in “A Closer Look at Millennials.”