"Why Our Younger Generation Needs Support with Money and Finance"

As a financial wellbeing planner and someone who cares deeply about helping people feel confident and empowered with their money, I often think about how different life could be if we were all taught about money earlier. When I sit down with clients in their 20s or early 30s, I see a common thread: so many of them feel like they’re already behind, like they’ve missed some invisible class where everyone else learned how to “do money right.”

They haven’t failed. Too many young people reach adulthood without enough practical support to feel confident about money.

And that’s why I believe, passionately, that we need to better support our younger generation when it comes to learning about money and finance.
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1. They're Facing a Totally Different World

Let’s be honest: young people face a financial world that can be difficult to navigate. Housing costs and everyday bills can make saving challenging, while variable hours or uncertain income can make planning harder.

This generation is dealing with challenges like:

• Student loan balances that can feel daunting: the Student Loans Company’s provisional average for higher education borrowers entering repayment in England in 2025–26 was £47,730.¹ The figure will be finalised in the 2027 publication. It covers borrowers, including people who withdrew from their course, rather than graduates alone. Repayments depend on income and loan plan.
• High living costs that can leave little room for saving
• A digital economy where money is increasingly abstract - just numbers on a screen

It’s no wonder so many feel overwhelmed.

2. Financial Education Still Needs to Reach More Young People

Financial education provision varies across the UK. In England it already forms part of secondary citizenship and mathematics, but that does not mean every young person receives enough practical support. In March 2026, the government said it intended strengthened financial education in the revised curriculum to be taught from September 2028.² That is a planned change, rather than something already in place.

MaPS research published in July 2026 highlights the importance of parents’ money habits for younger children, and practical budgeting, planning and saving skills for teenagers.³ This reinforces why financial education needs to include everyday experiences at home as well as lessons in school. The report analyses earlier survey data rather than providing a new measure of how many children receive financial education. MaPS provision mapping published in June 2025 also identified continuing gaps, including support for children in low-income households and those with special educational needs.⁴

3. Social Media Sends Mixed Messages

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram offer a mixture of useful information, paid promotions and potentially misleading investment tips. AI adds another source to check: FCA research published on 27 August 2026 found that 44% of 666 UK respondents aged 18–40 mistakenly believed AI-generated financial information was regulated.⁵ Participants owned investments or would consider buying them in the next 12 months. These findings relate to that investor sample, rather than all young people.

Young people need tools to tell the difference between financial fact and fiction. Otherwise, they’re building their money beliefs on shaky ground.
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4. Money Stress Impacts Mental Health

I see this in my work: clients who are working hard and trying to save, but still feel anxious or stuck. NHS England’s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey for 2023–24 found common mental health conditions in 39.0% of adults with problem debt, compared with 18.4% of those without, in age-standardised analyses.⁶ The figures cover adults in England and are not specific to young adults. They show an association, rather than proving that debt alone causes mental ill health.

Supporting them with knowledge and encouragement isn’t just about numbers. It’s about giving them peace of mind, self-worth, and a sense of control over their future.
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5. Habits Start Early - So Let’s Set Them Up for Success

The way we interact with money is shaped early in life. If we teach budgeting, saving, and mindful spending in a supportive way, young people can grow up with a healthy relationship with money. That foundation is worth more than any flashy financial product or investment tip.
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So, What Can We Do?

As someone who works in this space every day, here’s what I believe truly helps:
✅ Talk about money openly – with your kids, your students, or your younger colleagues. Make it normal.
✅ Push for better financial education in schools and universities. Practical, real-life content- not just theory.
✅ Be a safe space – let young people ask questions without judgment. No one is born knowing what a pension is!
✅ Share your experiences – good and bad. Honesty is powerful.
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A Final Thought

Supporting the next generation isn’t about telling them what to do- it’s about giving them the confidence to make informed choices, aligned with their own values and goals.

If you’re a parent, teacher, employer, or mentor - you can be a part of this. And if you’re a young person reading this: know that you’re not behind. You’re just getting started, and I’m rooting for you.

Let’s build a future where financial wellbeing isn’t a privilege, but a shared foundation for all.

Although the content of the article was correct at the time of writing, the accuracy of the information should not be relied upon, as it may have been subject to subsequent tax, legislative or event changes.

Sources

Source 3 checked and replaced on 13 October 2026; other links checked on 7 October 2026. Publication and fieldwork dates are stated separately; a current source check does not make older research new data.