By
Asia Grace
Published Sep. 25, 2023, NY Post
20-somethings are all about keeping up with the Kardashians — especially when it comes to stacking cash.
Rather than heeding the counsel of avowed financial experts, money-making women between the ages of 18 and 24 are taking their economic cues from Kim K’s stinking rich little sisters, according to a buzzy new study.
“Financially aware Gen Zers are 62% more influenced by people they follow on social media than the national average, with their highest affinities being gamers, reality show stars, and fictional characters,” reads an August 2023 report on the demographic’s financial behaviors and attitudes via marketing consultancy Sooth. “Yet, they are 61% less likely to be influenced by a financial expert on social media.
“Gen Z tends not to engage with people who purport to be leaders in financial services, choosing instead to look to people they see as successful, self-made female role models,” the study continues.
Gen Z women are shying away from the advice of financial advisors. They are mimicking the money habits of female celebrity moguls such as Kylie and Kendall Jenner, per a recent study.
The analysis applied AI-driven psychographic models to data across consumer surveys, social conversations, financial habits, and media usage of more than 625,000financially aware Gen Z adults.
Researchers found that young breadwinners prefer mimicking the financial opinions and behaviors of A-listers who’ve forked in a fortune.
“They have the highest affinity for Kylie and Kendall Jenner above all other social influencers,” noted the study, adding that their million- and billion-dollar older siblings, as well as Ariana Grande, Zendaya and Selena Gomez, also ranked among the top tycoons whom ladies in their teens and 20s revere.
And when it comes to well-to-do heroines, the Kardashians aren’t a bad choice.
In June, both the buxom Kylie and Kim earned enviable positions on Forbes’ “America’s Richest Self-Made Women” top 50 list.
Jenner, 25, who helms the ever-trending Kylie Cosmetics brand, snagged the 38th spot on the coveted countdown with a net worth of approximately $680 million. However, Kardashian, 42, the name in front of leisure apparel line Skims, scored the21st slot on the chart with an impressive $1.2 billion.
And “7 Rings” singer Ariana Grande, 30 — who recently filed for divorce from husband Dalton Gomez — is said to boast a bountiful bundle of around $240 million, making her a prime paragon for the working woman. Hollywood hotshots Selena Gomez, 31, and Zendaya, 27, are reportedly mega-millionaires worthy of praise, too.
Grande’s reported net worth of more than $240 million makes her an exemplar for fans. Ariana Grande / Instagram
Gen Z males, however, named Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé, 62, a native New Yorker with a reported net worth of $40 million, as their favorite investment influencer, per the poll.
Young guys valued Fils-Aimé’s acumen six times more than that of multibillionaire business magnate Warren Buffet, 93, or any mainstream financial thought leader.
The study went onto note that 89% of the most financially aware Gen Z adults who prioritize savings and wealth creation are women.
“Gen Z women are 15 times more likely to engage with online content about saving money than the national average,” researchers determined. “Social media is the predominant learning channel for this generation.”