• 在Z一代看来，个人净值达到9469847美元才能算财务成功，几乎是X一代5295072美元的两倍。
每过一个十年，财务成功的门槛似乎都会大幅提升。为了应对通胀，飙升的房地产市场以及巨大的贫富差距，年轻一代在审视周边环境后发现，从长远来看，自己需要一大笔额外资金来应对这个波动的经济。
这也是为什么Z一代心目中财务成功的标准几乎是其父母也就是X一代两倍的原因。金融服务公司Empower对2200名美国民众的调查显示，尽管X一代认为5295072美元便可以算作财务成功，但Z一代认为这个数字应是9469847美元。
Empower传播部门负责人瑞贝卡•里科特对《财富》杂志解释说：“经过计算，年轻一代认为自己需要更多的钱才能在未来实现财务成功。”
确实，岁数越大的一代人财务成功的标准越低：千禧一代认为需要5638205美元，婴儿潮一代则是1049172美元。Z一代在理想薪资方面亦持有同样的看法，他们认为成功的收入应该达到587797美元，千禧一代为180865美元，X一代为212321美元，婴儿潮一代为99874美元。
Z一代——充满财务焦虑的一代
由于处在职业生涯初期，而且薪资与年长的同事相比通常偏低，难怪对自身经济状况最为焦虑的是最年轻的这一代劳动力。这种不安感也一直伴随着他们的成长。
里科特还表示：“Z一代所处的这个时代遭遇了一些重大经济动荡，包括疫情、数十年以来数一数二的通胀率、学生贷款债务以及颇具挑战性的房市。”
对于如今的年轻人来说，整个世界似乎变得有点更残酷，因为他们发现，一些人生大事的成本，例如安逸的退休、生孩子以及买房子，变得越来越高。皮尤研究中心（Pew Research Center）的研究显示，相对于50岁以上的成年人，年轻人对实现美国梦的信心更低。
X一代的退休苦恼
尽管X一代估计自己财务成功的标准略超500万美元，但他们发现寿命的变长会让这笔资金提前耗尽。
Voya Investment Management分销负责人蒂法尼·波特斯塔姆在给《财富》的文章中写到，很多X一代如今都难以攒够退休的钱。他们的年龄越来越大，但在当前这个劳动力环境中能拿到的养老金却少于婴儿潮一代。
Natixis Investment Managers开展的另一项调查显示，为了应对这一新局势，X一代不得不延长了工作时间，有时甚至还会在退休后返回工作岗位。高达44%的X一代把高枕无忧的退休看作是一种“奇迹”。
不过最终，所有这一切向年轻员工发出了另一个警告信号。里科特解释说，“在预见到自己在这个世界中需要大量的缓冲资金才能生存之后”，其对工作的选择也受到了影响。这里还有一个“对比效应”，因为Z一代也在审视其父母及其同僚的财务状况。
尽管如此，年轻一代对于实现自身财务成功愿望最有信心。大多数（71%）Z一代认为自己将在此生实现提到的目标，而千禧一代的比例为70%，X一代为53%，婴儿潮一代为45%。（财富中文网）
译者：冯丰
审校：夏林
• Gen Zers consider financial success to be a net worth of $9,469,847, almost twice as much as Gen Xer’s benchmark of $5,295,072.
The benchmark for financial comfort seems to be moving further away with each passing decade. Battling inflation, a thorny housing market, and overwhelming wealth disparity, young adults are taking a look around and figuring they’ll need a fair amount extra to wage the volatile economy in the long run.
That’s why Gen Zers believe they need almost twice as much as the generation typically known as their parents—Gen X. While Gen Xers believe they need a net worth of $5,295,072 to be successful, Gen Zers estimate that number is at $9,469,847, according to financial service company Empower’s survey of more than 2,200 Americans.
“Younger generations are doing the math and betting on needing more money to reach a future state of financial success,” Rebecca Rickert, head of communications at Empower, explains to Fortune.
Indeed, the goalpost moves lower as generations age: Millennials figure they’ll require $5,638,205 in net worth and boomers need $1,049,172. The ideal salary follows the same trend with Gen Zers considering $587,797 a successful income, compared to $180,865 for millennials, $212,321 for Gen Xers, and $99,874 for boomers.
Gen Zers— a financially anxious generation
Earlier on in their career and often facing lower salaries than their older counterparts, it makes sense that the youngest working generation is the most financially anxious. The feeling of precariousness is also a fixture of their upbringing.
“Gen Z is coming up in an era marked by some major economic disruptions, from the pandemic to some of the highest inflation rates in decades, student loan debt and a challenging housing market,” adds Rickert.
The world appears to be feeling a bit harsher for today’s young adults, who are finding life milestones like a comfortable retirement, having children and home ownership to be increasingly expensive. Young adults are less likely than adults aged 50 and older to believe in the possibility of the American dream, per Pew Research Center’s research.
Gen Xers’ retirement woes
Although Gen Xers estimate they need slightly over $5 million to feel successful, they’re finding that longer lifespans are stretching their dollars thin.
Many Gen Xers now are struggling to save up enough money for retirement, aging in a workforce that no longer provides the same pensions that swaths of boomers were privy to, writes Tiffani Potestam head of distribution at Voya Investment Management for Fortune.
In response to the new conditions, Gen Xers are forced to work longer and sometimes even unretire. A whopping 44% of Gen Xers think it’ll take a “miracle” for them to securely retire, finds a separate survey conducted by Natixis Investment Managers.
But in the end, this all raises another red flag for young workers, “fores[eeing} a world in which they’ll need a sizable cushion to make it,” and thus shaping their job choices, explains Rickert. There’s also a “comparison effect taking place,” as Gen Zers look at their parents and peers’ financial situation.
Despite it all, younger generations are the most confident they’ll achieve their hopes of financial success. Most (71%) Gen Zers believe they’ll reach said goals within their lifetime, compared to 70% of millennials, 53% of Gen Xers, and 45% of baby boomers.