Investing isn’t the number-one financial priority of young Ontarians, reveals OSC research.
While most young Ontarians save (80%), fewer than half (47%) invest. (The study is based on those aged 18 to 36.)
Reasons cited for not investing include:
- having other financial priorities (68%),
- not having enough income or savings (66%),
- not knowing enough about investing (59%) and
- fearing market losses (57%).
Read: What young clients don’t understand
A top alternative financial priority is homeownership, with one-third of young Ontarians already owing a home. More than half of non-homeowners in the study place owning a home in their top-three financial priorities.
Read: Millennials still aren’t investing for the long term
Hiring advisors—or not
Of young Ontarians who do invest, 67% work with a professional, including 50% who work with a financial advisor and 16% with a portfolio manager. Online brokerages are used by 39%.
Read: 35% of millennial Albertans use advisors
Cost of fees (31%) and confidence in their own skills (25%) are the main reasons cited for not using advisors. Some also felt that their portfolios are too small to work with a professional (16%), and some said they simply never considered working with a professional (13%).
For more details, read the full survey.
About the survey: An online survey was conducted among a representative sample of 1,585 Ontarians, 18 to 36, between May 5 and May 12, 2017.