The Kids Are Alright
I read business books. A lot of them. Mostly for my job. But, being a glutton for punishment, I also read them for fun. Business books . . . for fun, you ask? Yes. And here’s why: Because for every run-of-the-mill leadership or management book (looking at you, old white dudes), there are at least a few out there that speak from a place of uncertainty. And that—the unwavering, unapologetic uncertainty about what it means to be a human operating in the world of work—is what humanizes the experience for all of us. Because the truth is, no one really knows what they’re doing out here in the cubical jungle.
No group of writers is better at this voice than millennials, and no subject is more suited to an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty than money and investing. This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s paid a lick of attention to the news since the 2008 recession. Millennials (those born between 1980 and 1996) have seen their fair share of shitty times when it comes to money, earnings potential, and investing (or lack thereof). They were on the cusp of adulthood when 9/11 happened, and entering their peak earning years when the markets took a swan dive in 2008. While some of us “olds” might roll our eyes about the fact that some millennials live at home with their aging parents, the fact is that cohabiting may very well be a necessity, not a nicety, for this generation. As a generation, they face unique earning and investing challenges that Boomers and Xers like me never had.
It shouldn’t surprise you, then, to learn that this generation is churning out some of the smartest investing content on the shelves and in your earbuds. And much of their good advice is borne of necessity. Who better to lead you through the investing woods than someone who has had to eat their fair share of ramen and do some truly creative budgeting to make ends meet or come up with a unique strategy for debt reduction.
Gaby Dunn leads the pack (at least on my shelf) with her wit, humor, and absolute candor. Both her book and her show talk a LOT about what she doesn’t know, which is a lot. The title of her book is Bad With Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together, after all. She’s fun, funny, and financially savvy thanks to her unique ability to lay bare her curiosity about investing and all things money.
Erin Lowry, the Broke Millennial, is my go-to investing expert right now. She says what all of the other investing gurus won’t, which is that investing is possible even when it feels impossible. Sure, the old white dude investing gurus pay a lot of lip service to the idea that anyone can invest, but their advice often belies the realities of modern living and modern debt. Millennials like Erin GET IT that you might have $100k in grad school debt or no reliable models for investing in your family history, or no extra cash on hand to throw at the stock market. Or that you don’t know a damn thing about mutual funds. She’s like the really smart girl you sit next to in econ class—you want to know her. Her book is Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together.
Chelsea Fagan is focused on dieting. Your Financial Diet is a fantastic Money 101 course for anyone struggling with all things money: budgeting, investing, debt redux, etc. She’s smart, friendly, and totally focused on getting you right with your wallet. Check out her book The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money.
No matter what YOUR generation is, get to know these millennial money mavens and start paying attention. They know their stuff—because they have to.
