The financial advantage gap between having a college degree and just having a high school diploma is widening!
As of 2019, the average college graduate earned 75% more than the average high school graduate.¹ When you crunch the numbers, it’s actually a more robust investment than stocks or bonds.
This income difference is making saving for retirement difficult for millennials without a college degree. According to the Young Invincibles’ 2017 ‘Financial Health of Young America’ study, millennial college grads – even with roadblocks like student debt – have saved nearly $21,000 for retirement.² That’s quite a lot more as compared to the amount saved by those with a high school diploma only: under $8,000.
However, a college grad may encounter a different type of retirement savings roadblock than a reduced income – student loan debt. But the numbers show that even with student loan debt, the advantages of having a college degree and a solid financial strategy outweigh the retirement saving power of not having a college degree.
Here’s an issue plaguing both groups: more than two-thirds of all millennial workers surveyed do not have a specific retirement plan in place at all.³
Regardless of your level of education or your level of income, you can save for your retirement – and take steps toward your financial independence. Or maybe even finance a college education for yourself or a loved one down the road.
The first step to making the most of what you do have is meeting with a financial advisor who can help put you on the path to a solid financial strategy.
Contact me today. Let’s get your money working for you.
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¹ “College grads earn $30,000 a year more than people with just a high school degree,” Anna Bahney, CNN, Jun 6, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/06/success/college-worth-it/index.html ² “Financial Health of Young America: Measuring Generational Declines between Baby Boomers & Millennials,” Tom Allison, Young Invincibles, Jan 2017, http://younginvincibles.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FHYA-Final2017-1-1.pdf ³ “Retirement Plan Access and Participation Across Generations,” Pew, Feb 15, 2017, http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2017/02/retirement-plan-access-and-participation-across-generations