Millennials and members of Gen Z have had a tough time of it: several “once in a lifetime” negative financial events already.
Purely due to more time spent on the planet, previous generations (X and “boomers”) have faced the repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis, as well as the pandemic of 2020.
While still facing the knock-on effects to this day, the economic conditions in 2023 now threaten an even greater financial collapse than any before.
After WW2, those termed “baby boomers” (born between 1946 and 64) became accustomed to relatively prosperous conditions, with the post-war economic boom prompting upward mobility for many families as well as a growing “middle class”.
Many families took on mortgages during this time and consumer credit expanded significantly – although, it was nowhere near the levels seen in the later 20th and 21st centuries.
The current financial landscape in 2023 is one of:
- High inflation
- High interest rates
- Ever-increasing government and consumer debt, including but not limited to student loans, credit card debt, and ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ schemes
- Low financial education
- Low wages and wage growth
All these factors combined contribute to what economists have called the Cost Of Living Crisis. In the interest of balance, there are opportunities for young people to improve their financial opportunities and strategies considerably, and some of these include:
- Financial education: Educating themselves about personal finance, investing and the broader landscape. There are a great number of articles and blogs freely available on the Kinesis blog.
- Budgeting and saving: As a habit, developing the ability to adequately save and track expenses serves as a skill for life. This is informally known as the “pay yourself first” principle.
- High-interest debt: Where interest rates are high, it is worth considering paying off and/or limiting the amount of accumulated high-interest debt first and foremost.
- Investing early: Depending on the individual’s own investment needs, it is worth setting aside one’s portion of income for future milestones. Better still, would be to store wealth in an asset that can maintain its value over the long term.
Why Gold? Understanding the Appeal
Gold, by its very nature as a precious metal, has intrinsic value thanks to its fundamental use cases such as high conductivity, but also as fine jewellery.
Furthermore, gold’s scarcity comes from the fact that it needs to be mined and produced; it cannot just be printed like the fiat currencies most people use daily.
Over time, gold has been shown as an excellent store of value and a hedge against inflation – becoming worth more over time instead of less.
Digital Gold: The Intersection of Technology and Tradition
Thanks to the innovation of the blockchain, gold can more easily be used as money than it used to be, thanks to its reinvention as an asset-backed digital currency.
Going beyond traditional gold investment, Kinesis has introduced Kinesis Gold (KAU) with 1:1 physical gold backing, providing holders with a yield on their platform activity – rewarding the use of precious metals to protect and grow savings.
Users who move their savings into gold and silver can earn yields for holding, spending, trading, referring their friends and more.
Using gold and silver as money, with instant conversion to fiat, is made possible via spending on the Kinesis card, allowing fast, low-cost international transactions, and exchange trading.
Gold’s Role in Risk Management
Often, gold forms part of an investor’s portfolio because it has been proven to have universal appeal, thanks to these factors:
Hedging – historical data shows that the price of gold rises with inflation, so money (if it were stored in gold) has the ability to retain its purchasing power.
Diversification – holding a diverse basket of goods is considered less of a risk than only choosing to store all available money in fiat currencies.
Storing value – gold has thousands of years of data to back up its excellent store of value capabilities.
Opting out of fiat – gold on the blockchain can be used as money, overcoming the need to keep using devaluing fiat currencies.
Yields – using Kinesis gold enables users to access up to five unique, usage-based yields, paid out in gold, every month.
Gold Challenges and Misconceptions
As with any investment, there are both opportunities and challenges for those considering whether or not to add gold to their portfolio.
Many of the challenges arise from misconceptions.
Despite popular belief, gold investment can be accessible and easy enough for anyone seeking to unlock the utility of the precious metal, with spending, trading, or sending made possible with blockchain technology.
Generation Z and millennials don’t need to worry about storing gold in their house and insuring it since users can access fee-free storage of their gold (and silver) via the Kinesis platform.
In the interest of balance, one sure challenge with gold is that even though it is a stable store of value over time it still experiences price volatility in reaction to the market conditions and global geopolitical events.
This can impact long and short-term prospects.
Long-Term vs. Short-Term Investments
Phrases like long and short-term mean different things to different types of investors, and it may be tempting to younger people to seek short-term investments that will yield bigger returns more quickly.
Gold can function as an investment with bright prospects for both the short and the long term, from the perspective of it as a wealth preservation and rate of return asset.
Whilst many a YouTube influencer will tout get-rich-quick schemes, investing in gold is a long-term strategy and will require strategy and patience, equally.
The Future of Gold Investment for Younger Generations
Gone are the days of purchasing physical gold coins or bars in person and having to store them in your house, or in expensive storage solutions.
Millennials and ‘Gen Zers’ looking for superior gold investment solutions should demand a minimum of no storage fees, ownership of the underlying physical bullion, an easy-to-use and accessible platform and other benefits, or their custom.
To get started with a Kinesis account, sign up here.
This publication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a solicitation, offering or recommendation of any security, commodity, derivative, investment management service or advisory service and is not commodity trading advice. This publication does not intend to provide investment, tax or legal advice on either a general or specific basis.
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