Millennials aren't getting enough credit for their financial values.
While often looked upon by preceding generations as commitment-phobic and "irresponsible job hoppers" laden with severe debt, millennials who receive fair wages tend to be loyal to their employers and committed to building savings and credit, according to the latest Credit Karma Millennial Report.
Credit Karma, the San Francisco-based credit and financial management platform, surveyed more than 1,000 millennials — people currently between the ages of 18 and 24 — about their intentions and attitudes toward their spending and saving behavior.
"In spite of their negative reputation, millennials are actually much wiser with their finances than we often give them credit for," Bethy Hardeman, chief consumer advocate at Credit Karma, said in a July 6 news release. The average millennial is often portrayed as someone uninterested in assuming adult responsibilities, who prefers short-term jobs and relationships and holds little regard for savings or planning for the future.
However, the study shows "millennials are following in the footsteps of generations before them: saving for the future is top-of-mind, loyalty with employers who offer fair pay is a priority and hitting life's traditional milestones is important to them," Hardeman added.
Some 52% of the people surveyed indicated they're already saving for retirement and have an emergency fund, with 75% of savers citing the 2008 financial crisis as influential in shaping their financial management choices.
Sixty-two percent of the people surveyed indicated they're opening credit cards and working to build positive credit histories early, with 48% of the remainder justifying their decision citing their aversion to debt.
Almost two-thirds said wage increases or promotions motivated them to change jobs. Of people between 29 and 34 years old, 70% indicated they have stayed at least four years at each job they've had. Sixty-three percent of people between ages 18 and 28 indicated they expect to stay as long with their employer, while 25% said they plan to stay for at least eight years.
Only 20% of respondents indicated student debt is holding them back from accessing credit; 4% indicated student debt is holding them back from owning a home.
