For many younger Americans, the traditional path to the “American dream” — buying a home, building wealth, and saving for retirement — is becoming increasingly difficult to envision.
A recent Yahoo Finance story examining how Gen Z and millennials are redefining financial success highlights findings from a 2026 Beyond Finance survey that reveal just how deeply that outlook is changing.
Beyond Finance found that 32% of millennials and Gen Z believe the traditional American dream is no longer within reach, while 57% say younger Americans are being set up for financial failure.
The findings complement research cited in the story showing that 51% of Gen Z have deprioritized saving for a home in favor of focusing on their quality of life today.
For Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™, Chief Financial Wellness Advisor at Beyond Finance, the shift reflects more than changing priorities — it reflects declining confidence in the financial systems younger generations inherited.
“Many people have lost trust in a system that was supposed to work for them, and with it, they’ve lost trust in themselves and their sense of what’s possible,” Dr. Rasure told the publication. “The reality is, financial conditions have changed faster than the rules.”
The findings underscore why financial wellness today increasingly requires helping people establish realistic goals based on their own circumstances — not simply following a financial roadmap created for previous generations.
Read the story on Yahoo Finance.