In recognition of International Women’s Day, Laurel Road conducted its eighth-annual survey among 2,301 adult U.S. women to uncover how they are navigating the complexities of personal finance amidst ongoing financial stress, rising costs, and shifting economic conditions.
This year’s survey found that 65% of women rank personal finances as a top source of stress and anxiety, unchanged from last year. To manage this stress, 44% are discussing finances with their personal networks like friends and family, including 50% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials, who are particularly likely to seek advice from people close to them.
Financial goals and stressors vary across generations
Women across generations share widespread concerns about the economy, with 78% saying it makes them uneasy about staying on track with their financial goals, up from 75% last year. Many feel behind in key financial areas, particularly:
- Retirement savings (36%)
- Credit card debt repayment (30%)
- Salary (22%)
Additionally, although 70% of women report that they feel confident about managing their personal finances, money remains a top stressor (65%), alongside health (46%) and family responsibilities (38%).
Career pressures weigh heavily on younger women, with 46% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennial women citing their job or career as a major stressor compared to 31% of women overall. Education is another concern, with 37% of Gen Z women highlighting it as a key stressor—up from 26% in 2024.
Where women turn for financial advice
While 65% of women trust financial advisors and experts, less than 1 in 5 seek professional financial counsel through an advisor. Instead, they lean on personal relationships:
- Friends and family are the top source for learning about financial trends among women (44%)
- 66% of women say they discuss financial advice they’ve received with their significant other
- 76% of Gen Z women and 58% of Millennial women look to their parents as a trusted source for financial guidance
Workplaces remain an uncommon setting for financial discussions, with two-thirds of women not sharing financial advice with colleagues.
Social media is an emerging influence, with 30% of women using it to learn about financial trends and practices—a figure that rises to 48% among Gen Z. Meanwhile, 24% turn to traditional media, and Millennials are the most likely to use budgeting and investing apps (23%), though adoption remains low across generations. Despite this high usage, only 11% of women name social media influencers as a trusted source for financial advice.
The rise of side hustles and money management trends
With more women looking to social media for financial insights, many are embracing trending money management strategies. 31% of women report participating in freelance “side hustles”, with Gen Z leading at 37%. Other popular trends include:
- DIY/upcycling to cut costs (29%)
- No-spend challenges (21%)
Less widely adopted are financial trends like micro-investing apps, passive income strategies, and debt repayment methods. Fewer than 1 in 5 women have engaged in approaches such as soft saving, cash stuffing, or debt snowball methods.
About the survey
Methodology
The survey was conducted online within the United States from February 13-18 among 4,326 adults, including 2,301 women, by HarrisX. Respondents are recruited through opt-in, web-panel recruitment sampling. Recruitment occurs though a broad variety of professional, validated respondent panels to expand the sampling frame as wide as possible and minimize the impact of any given panel on recruiting methods.
The results reflect a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Results were weighted for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, and income where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 2.0 percentage points for women and +/- 1.5 percentage points for all adults.
