Financier №2 (42) 2026

Let’s start with a bit of theory. Generation Z (Zoomers) typically refers to people born between 1997 and 2012. In the U.S., as of 2023, this age group comprised around 70 million people. Of course, its youngest members are still too young to trade on the stock market independently. However, certain stereotypes have emerged around those who have already taken their first steps in investing — and we’ll debunk them in this article.

Myth 1: Zoomers Don’t Save Money

It’s commonly believed that saving is something older market participants do, while “young people” prefer to spend their earnings (often recklessly) or invest in high‑risk assets. This is partly true: novice investors are indeed more inclined towards high‑return investments and day trading. However, this certainly doesn’t apply to everyone.

According to a survey by the online investing platform The Motley Fool, 34% of surveyed Zoomers have capital accumulation for the future as their primary investment goal, while 20% aim to grow their existing funds without a clearly defined objective. Another 12% seek to build an emergency fund, and 8% prefer to save for education, debt repayment, studies, or car purchases.

Myth 2: Zoomers Don’t Care About Dividends

There’s a widespread belief that investors under 30 years old don’t place much value on profit distribution, preferring to earn from day trading instead.

Indeed, Zoomers have the highest share of traders who execute securities transactions daily (according to The Motley Fool). Moreover, 55% of this generation, per the CFA Institute, invest in cryptocurrencies — a far riskier instrument operating on principles quite different from dividend‑paying stocks. The share of dividend stocks in Zoomers’ portfolios, as of 2026, was up to 25%, while among millennials it ranged from 25% to 50%.

Conclusion: unlike their parents, young investors are less focused on dividends but don’t completely ignore this form of equity income.

Myth 3: Zoomers Only Invest in Fintech

If we tone down the categoricality, this statement is largely true — but it also holds for older generations. According to the Apex Q4 Millennial 100 study conducted in early 2026, the share of Zoomers investing in sectors related to artificial intelligence was 74%, compared to 70% among millennials. Five years ago, the backbone of “youth” investment portfolios was formed by shares of Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), NVIDIA (NVDA), Netflix (NFLX), PayPal (PYPL), and other tech giants. The popularity of major U.S. tech companies stems from their status as blue‑chip stocks — i.e., the most reliable and profitable market instruments.

American millennials, Zoomers, and older generations primarily choose tech investments due to the specific nature of the U.S. economy and stock market. And this bet has paid off! For instance, amid the AI investment boom over the past five years, NVIDIA’s market capitalization has grown 14‑fold, reaching an all‑time high of $5 trillion in autumn 2025.

Today, only 33% of 27‑year‑old homeowners exist in the U.S., whereas Baby Boomers at the same age owned property in 40% of cases

Portrait of the Generation

Studies of young American investors’ behaviour show that, on average, they aren’t much different from older generations at the same age: Zoomers take more risks and think slightly less about the future. However, their portfolios — which include both volatile assets (cryptocurrencies) and more stable ones (dividend‑paying stocks) — appear fairly balanced overall.