Half of Millennials Delaying Home-Buying Due to Financial Concerns, Study FindsCommentary by Desirée Patno
An Insider and Morning Consult survey reveals that millennials are more likely than previous generations to postpone major life events because they cannot afford them. Money concerns, whether they are student debt, living costs or still recovering from the Great Recession, are not only affecting their financial and physical fitness, but also their timeline of significant life events.
The survey polled 2,096 Americans about their financial health, debt and earnings for the series, "The State of Our Money." More than 670 respondents were millennials, (ages 23-28 as of 2019), and 730 respondents were baby boomers, defined as ages 55 to 73. Key Findings Below is a list of major life events and the share of respondents who have reported delaying each event because of money concerns.
About the same percentage of millennials and baby boomers have delayed a medical procedure because they could not afford it. Millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to have delayed a career decision, such as quitting a job or starting a business, because they did not feel financially fit. Money is a deciding factor in the love lives of the millennial generation, as well. They are more likely to delay having children (if they want them), get married (if they want to) and enter or end a relationship than baby boomers were at their age. In fact, the average age for adults to marry was 27 for women and 29 for men in 2017; in 1980, the common age was 22 and 25, respectively. A delay in marriage can sometimes result in a delay in childbearing. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more 30-something-year-old women are having babies than women in their 20s for the first time in history. Desirée Patno is the CEO and president of Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB) and Desirée Patno Enterprises, Inc. (DPE), as well as chairwoman of NAWRB's Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC). With 30 years of experience in housing, Patno is a champion for women's economic growth and independence. In 2017, Entrepreneur.com named her the Highest-Ranking Woman and 4th Overall Top Real Estate Influencer to Follow. For more information, please visit www.nawrb.com. |
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