SoFi Blog

Completed a DIY home improvement project recently? If you’re a Millennial, then we’d be willing to bet that you then posted a picture to social media to show off the finished product.

We recently conducted a survey where we were able to uncover the differences between Millennials and Baby Boomers when it comes to home improvement projects to celebrate the start of home improvement season 2018 and our now Tiny Kitchen Makeover viral campaign.

We surveyed a national sample of 1,231 consumers aged 24-72 who had completed a DIY home improvement project in the past two years and found that Millennials are more likely (23%) than Baby Boomers to land in the ER from a DIY home improvement project gone awry, and that overzealousness may be because they are eager to show off their latest project on social media.

Studies show millennial women have enormous power—when it comes to spending, that is. But what about when it comes to building wealth, like saving and investing toward the future? To figure that out, SoFi teamed up with Levo to survey 2,050 millennial women on their behaviors and motivations around financial habits, with intriguing results.

Millennials get a bad rap when it comes to personal finance. They’re often labeled as unprepared for the future or emergencies because they don’t save enough, if anything at all. However, of the women surveyed, 53% have an emergency savings fund set aside (covering three to six-plus months of housing and necessities). And they don’t just keep their money under the bed: 70% review their bank accounts at least once a week. These findings indicate millennial women are much more financially responsible than they’re given credit for, in that they are savers and have cash flow to invest.

Earlier this month, we shared results from our 2017 Millennials and Financial Resolutions survey. We discovered several trends and recent events that impact how millennials are thinking about forward-thinking financial topics. This week, we review the results of a second survey we conducted to learn why these young professionals aren’t reaching their financial goals, and how they compare to other generations.

For many Americans, the beginning of a new year is a time for self-reflection and personal goal-setting — losing those holiday pounds, learning a new language, or maybe getting to a better place with their finances.

As a personal finance company devoted to helping a new generation achieve prosperity, we decided we’d dive into the financial aspect of these resolutions, especially among younger Americans. We also wanted to see how recent events might have shaped those resolutions. So we surveyed more than 500 college-educated Americans ages 25-34 — the older cohort of U.S. Millennials — to find out their attitudes on a variety of forward-looking finance topics.

Millennials are positioned to make a big impact in this year’s presidential election—if they turn out to vote.

• Young voters were a key factor in the election of Barack Obama. Obama won 66 percent of the under-30 vote in 2008 and 60 percent in 2012.
• Young voter turnout increased substantially in the last two elections. About half of eligible voters aged 18-29 voted in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, compared to less than 40% of voters that age during the 1990s.
• Young voters have the numbers to make a difference. For the first time, the millennial voting population equals that of baby boomers.

Today’s 20- and 30-somethings are facing unprecedented financial challenges, like unemployment, stagnant wages, and student loan debt. This year’s election is a huge opportunity for young voters to make their voices heard. The presidential candidates are talking (a lot) about finances and the economy, and our next president’s actions will likely have a big impact on everyone’s financial future.

Check out our guide below to the 2016 presidential candidates and their stances on the issues that impact young professionals’ financial health.