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July 21, 2014 at 11:41 AM
When it comes to risk, millennials aren’t having any — at least for long-term savings.
So say 39% of American adults between the ages of 18 and 29, known as millennials, according to a new Bankrate report. They’re more likely than any other age group to believe that the best long-term investment is cash.
Although the S&P 500 is up 17% in the past year, 25% of Americans overall would rather keep their savings for the future — 10 years or more from now — in cash, which in most cases won’t even bring them a single percent in earnings. But three times as many millennials chose cash over the stock market, real estate, bonds or any other kind of investment.
Americans in general are wary of the market’s risks, despite its heady returns of late. Only 19% would choose it as their preferred way to invest long-term savings — and that’s up from 14% last year. Real estate came in a close second to cash, at 23%, while 14% looked to gold and other precious metals. Bonds finished a dead last at a mere 5%.
Greg McBride, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst, said in a statement that, despite investors’ small increase in moving back to stocks, “overall, Americans are still risk-averse when it comes to how they invest their money.”
