Gen Z And Millennial Millionaires Couldn’t Care Less For Stocks And Bonds — Here’s What They’re Buying Instead

Younger generations are shifting away from traditional wealth-building methods. Millennials and Gen Z now favor alternative assets, holding 31% of their portfolios in these investments, which is far above recommended levels. Are they right?

A Bank of America survey of 1,000 Gen Z and millennial investors with over $3 million in assets found that 72% of those aged 21 to 43 believe traditional stocks and bonds can’t yield above-average returns anymore, compared to 28% of those over 44. Younger investors allocate only 28% to stocks, turning instead to real estate, crypto, and private equity, shaped by witnessing major market crashes in 2000 and 2008.

Real Estate — A Solid Foundation

Conventional investment categories include stocks, bonds, and cash, which makes real estate an alternative asset. With the volatility of the stock market, real estate offers a tangible asset that can provide stable returns over time. It has historically been one of the most secure ways to create wealth if you have the patience to wait for five to 10 years. Real estate investments can range from residential properties to commercial real estate, and investing in them has never been easier. By the end of the day, you can become a part-owner of individual properties through fractional investing or invest in funds that can net passive income for many years in the future.

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Private Equity — Tapping Into High-Growth Opportunities

Investing in private equity essentially means buying shares of startups before they go public. Today, they’re taking longer than ever to become tradable, which makes them particularly attractive. Add to that the AI transformation and the fact hundreds of future billion-dollar companies have less than 10 employees today, and it becomes easy to see why private equity is extremely popular.

However, most private companies aren’t open to regular investors. They usually only rely on VC firms, hedge funds, and angel investors. Still, you can buy shares of some promising tech startups today, and it only takes a couple of clicks. For example, these ones:

Crypto — The Digital Frontier

Another asset younger investors are bullish on is cryptocurrencies. Since the first Bitcoin was minted in 2008, the crypto market has grown exponentially, making everyone who bought thousands of the early digital coins very rich a few years later. Today, it continues to offer impressive returns, especially after wider adoption. Crypto is being increasingly used worldwide, which grants more stability and higher returns for those invested. Still, crypto markets are highly volatile, so it’s important to educate yourself on the topic before you dive in. Luckily, most crypto exchanges offer free courses on what crypto is and what makes it 100x from time to time.