Why Young Americans Feel Stuck in Today’s Economy — ft. Ed Elson & Kyla Scanlon

0:02Welcome to the second and final episode of Prof G on economics, a special series focused on the forces shaping the economy and your financial life. I'm Ed Elson, co-host of Profity Markets. I'm joined again by Kyla Scanlon, economic commentator and author of In This Economy, How Money and Markets Really Work. Together, we will be answering your questions on the economy and what it means for your money. And if you'd like to submit a question for next time, you can send a voice recording to officehoursatprofitimedia.com or post your question on the Scott Galloway subreddit. Kyla, thank you for joining us.

0:38Are you ready to get into this? Yes.

0:44Our first question comes from Spencer Combs on Instagram. They say, quote, It seems like a growing number of millennials priced out of home ownership and delaying kids are redefining traditional spending patterns. Rather than channeling money into homes and early family life, they're allocating more toward experiences, pets, and accessible luxuries. These categories may increasingly replace those older economic anchors. How do you see this generational reallocation of spending influencing the economy overall, and what opportunities could emerge as a result? Kyla, what say you to Spencer Combs?

1:23I think it's an interesting question, And it actually becomes an American dream question. So there's something called aspirational displacement, where people who can't afford to buy a house, which is that traditional path of the American dream, they start buying experiences. They start spending on their pets because they have additional income, but they can't make a huge purchase like a house. And so it's an interesting thing that we're seeing in the economy. And on the previous episode, I talked about Bommel's cost disease and how goods were getting cheaper and cheaper because we've gotten better and better at producing them.

2:01Services have taken a longer time to get cheaper because it's much harder to make services more productive. It's very easy to automate a car factory, much harder to automate a physician. And so I think that's also part of it is that it's much cheaper to access these accessible luxuries. We also have international trade, which has informed a lot of the access to these luxuries, oftentimes which come from abroad. And then the experiences part is a lot of travel, too. And so the average American travels a whole lot more than they used to. And so these are interesting indicators of economic health.

2:38So a lot of people have a sense of financial nihilism because they might not necessarily be on the path that they want to be with the American dream. but they can afford these things. And so it does create a weird discrepancy in the economy where we see strong retail sales, but we see consumer sentiment so low. And in terms of how it's changing the economy, you see companies catering to it a lot more. Like there's a whole airline that caters just to dogs. I think it's called Bark. Have you seen this? Have you seen that? You can fly your dog on the Bark place. Yeah. No, I'm serious. Oh, God. Yeah.

3:18It's something that happens. Did not know. It's something that happens in higher income countries is, you know, more and more so they'll spend on these sorts of things. It's the same pattern that we saw in Japan as well. South Korea, too. So, yeah, it makes a lot of sense. And there's going to be a lot of luxury brands that are able to capture that, a lot of dog airplanes that are able to capture that. And it does represent a strange amount of economic health. I think the thing that's so depressing to me about it is it's like, we don't have enough money to buy houses, but we do have enough money to buy flights for our pets.

4:00And that's such a weird, like, in-between stage, which is almost, I don't know if it's it's worse than than not having the money to buy the the the dog flights but it's it's definitely got like a very depressing irony to it that that concerns me and it reminds me of also like the little treat culture um which is this this whole thing where it's like you you don't think that you can buy a house or get anywhere because everything's way too expensive so instead of like saving up for these meaningful purchases, you instead just like spend all of your disposable income on what people are calling like little treats.

4:44So like maybe the dog flight would be one of them or like, um, you know, clothes or, uh, the boo-boos or like expensive coffee, like whatever it is. Maybe you'd put sports betting in that category too. which is really concerning to me, at least, because it just makes me think that this generation has kind of given up and has decided that they're not going to get out. So why even try? And to the dog flights, I've got to look this up, Bork, it's crazy. So I have some data in front of me to the pet point about how much young people are spending on their pets. So I guess this really aligns with what you've just said.

5:29So the average American across all age groups spends, if you have a pet, spends$4 ,400 per year on their pets. For Gen Z, the number is over$6 ,000. So young people are spending 40 % more than the average pet owner. But here is where it gets worse. A third of those Gen Z pet owners say they have gone into debt because of their pets. So we're literally levering up to put our dogs on flights and get them fancy dog collars and maybe get them fancy dog treats. and meanwhile the cost of housing is six times our income and we're doing nothing it seems to figure out how to save for that event and and you can't really blame us because of the environment the financial environment we're in and i think this also goes to the stuff that we're seeing with like family planning where young people just don't really want to have kids anymore it seems like they're more interested in having like a dog or a cat or a pet because it's just less expensive so i don't know what the opportunity i mean the question is like what opportunities arise i i'm not seeing much positive in any of that but i think that it is a really good question that highlights something that probably deserves more airtime in the young people conversation and after this i will be checking out that air booking your dog on the airline well it's it does It's create, I think, oh, yeah, I mean, it creates a distorted lens on the economy because, like, some people would be like, hey, you know, they're buying their dogs airline tickets, you know, things have to be somewhat okay.

7:21So it is seen as— They're fine. Yeah, it's seen as, like—and they do have the money to do it. Like, it's some—well, they're taking out debt. But it's some element of economic health. And then it's just a shift in priorities, too. And, you know, we often talk about this like fabled American dream. It's something I write a lot about because I think it's really interesting. Like what does a society subscribe to as a path? And I think right now that path is evolving because of the economic constraints. um you know houses are just a lot harder to come by and so it's harder to do family formation to stay in one place even um and it's just a different it's just a different world and i think that's hard um because for the past 40 years with this great moderation where things the growth of suburbia the growth of white collar jobs it seems like everything would stay stable forever and that's just not this is not how the world works apparently so i'm looking at our second question, and it kind of relates to what we just discussed.

8:22This comes from Instagram user Alan Davidson. Alan asks, quote, what's the most misunderstood economic indicator when it comes to whether younger generations are actually gaining ground? This is interesting because it's, I mean, it really relates to what we just talked about, where if young people are out buying avocado toast and lattes, I feel like boomers immediately go, well, you can buy avocado toast, so you're fine. Everyone's fine. The first thing that comes to mind for me is like, whatever avocado toast sales are, that would be a misleading economic indicator of what's really going on. But the one that bugs me right now is this interest that people have.

9:05And it's true that more young people than ever before are investing in the stock market. like it's something like half of us today half of gen z which is a record high and then also like young people today are investing way earlier than other generations did so it's like okay you guys have some money and you're interested in stocks therefore you're good like you're in good shape and for me this frustrates me because i feel like it ignores two really crucial things one of which is how much are we actually investing? And the answer is it's really not a lot at all. Like if you look at Robinhood as an example, which is where most young people are trading, the average account balance is less than$250, which is tiny.

9:56So sure, we're investing, but we're not investing in a way that's meaningful, most of us, or at least on average. And then the second for me is like, what are we actually investing in? And for most young people, it's very heavy on the crypto and the meme stocks. And there was this Bank of America study, uh, survey. They found that the average young person has 30 % of their portfolio in crypto. That, to me, is—that's not healthy. That's not a symbol or a signal that young people are doing well. That's a signal that they're getting a little desperate and they're YOLOing into things where they might see perhaps a glimmer of outstanding returns.

10:40but the phrase young people are investing more than ever in the stock market like it makes you think that we we're set and i feel like there are a lot of other uh indicators which we could get into which i feel like are more symbolic of what's really going on and that is we're not set no i think that's um true and the economic indicator that i brought to the table is a bit similar where people talk about how much young people are sports betting. You know, 31 % of 18 to 34-year-olds have an account with sports betting, as you were talking about. 32 % of them bet three or more times a week. 30 % has bet more than 500 in a single day.

11:23But when you ask them if they want this, people say no. A Pew Research poll found that over 40 % of people age 18 to 29 think that legalized sports betting is bad. It's up sharply from 34 % in 2022. By the way, that matters. That changed. And so I think that's another thing that ties into what you're saying is it seems like everybody wants to be betting. Everyone, even though it's not that many, it seems like a lot of people, but everybody wants to be betting. Everybody wants to be a part of this casino economy. But when we look at the data, that's just not true. Like they are that ties into the first question pretty well where people are doing this because of the aspirational displacement.

12:13They're doing this because they're trying to find some way out and because it's accessible. I think also prior generations might have tapped into this stuff a little bit, but I don't know. So I think that's I think one of the most misunderstood things is that people don't want what's happening right now with elements of the casino economy. yeah that's a great point it's like the same with any other addiction like you know you could be addicted to alcohol you could be addicted to opiates and then you can also probably think these things are terrible and i wish they had never entered into my life i feel like the data that you're you're producing there is like that's exactly the story that it's that it's telling it's like we're addicted to this stuff we know it's not good for us but we keep doing it because that is the nature of addictions, which, again, is really concerning to me.

13:09Okay, we will be right back after a quick break.

13:18Support for the show comes from Grooms. The New Year always comes with resolutions, and that can be a lot of pressure to improve yourself. That's all well and good, but what's the point of doing all that if you can't stick with it long term? Gruen's proves you can do the least and still feel the most thanks to a delicious daily habit that does the heavy lifting. If you haven't heard me talk about Gruen's before, they're a convenient, comprehensive formula packed into a snack pack of gummies a day. This isn't a multivitamin, a green's gummy, or a prebiotic. It's all of those things, and then some at a fraction of the price.

13:49And bonus, it tastes great. Gruen's ingredients are backed by over 35 ,000 research publications, and it comes in packs because you can't fit the amount of nutrients Grunz does into a single gummy, like six grams of prebiotic fiber. That's like eating two cups of broccoli, but in one tasty little snack pack. Kick your new year off right and save up to 52 % off with code PROPG at grunz.co. That's code PROPG at grunz.co.

14:21Support for this show comes from LinkedIn. If you've ever hired for your small business, you know how important it is to find the right person. That's why LinkedIn Jobs is stepping things up with their new AI assistant. So you can feel confident you're finding top talent that you can't find anywhere else. And those great candidates you're looking for are already on LinkedIn. In fact, according to their data, employees hired through LinkedIn are 30 % more likely to stick around for at least a year compared to those hired through the leading competitor. That's a big deal when every hire counts. With LinkedIn Jobs' AI assistant, you can skip confusing steps in recruiting jargon.

14:52It filters through applicants based on criteria you've set for your role and services only the best matches so you're not stuck sorting through a mountain of resumes. LinkedIn Jobs AI Assistant can even suggest 25 great fit candidates daily so you can invite them to apply and keep things moving. Hire right the first time. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash prof. Then promote it to use LinkedIn Jobs' new AI Assistant, making it easier and faster to find top candidates. That's linkedin.com slash prof to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

15:29Let's move on to our final question. This is from MattMC121. Matt says, Kyla and Ed, you're both great at connecting the dots of everything that's happening in the world in a nuanced and unique way. Thank you. That's very kind. With so much noise in today's media, how do you navigate through it? What is your process for arriving at a point where you can give a new perspective? That's a great question. Kyla, what do you think? Oh, man. There's a lot going on. And so what I do every morning is I check all of the major outlets, so Bloomberg, Guelph Street Journal, Financial Times, to try and get a sense of what has happened overnight.

16:15And then I keep a running Word doc, Google doc throughout the week where I take notes on various themes that I think are popping up. So if I see a lot of research coming out about gambling or if I see a lot of articles written about gambling, I'll add that to my Google Doc. So I try to compartmentalize and create themes for all of the things that I'm seeing because then it's easier to connect the dots. Everything is connected in this sort of world. And so that's what I try to do is make sense of it through writing it all down but that takes a tremendous amount of time so what i try to do with like arriving to a new perspective is say okay what did i learn this week like how can i help explain all this stuff that's happening and then relay it to somebody who's just trying to understand and they have three minutes every day to understand what's going on around them so it's it's um it's uh there's a lot there's a lot going on i think the other thing that you nail, which it probably helps with understanding things is just like, how would I explain, as you say, how would I explain this in three minutes to someone who has zero context?

17:32And I feel like that's a really good way to understand the issues deeply. I mean, this is what people say, if you want to learn, teach, which I feel like is kind of what you do. And that's probably a really, I mean, I feel like people could take that in their own lives. for me same as kyla i try to read everything so read all the papers try to understand both sides of the argument if possible that is always going to be helpful i think another point that i would say that i think has really helped me is the fact that my job is to say stuff and it's not just to read stuff. It's like, I literally have to, by the nature of this job, I literally have to have a viewpoint, and I have to articulate that viewpoint out loud, which by its very nature forces me to be a smarter person.

18:30Like, tomorrow, as an example, I'm going to be on MSNBC. I have no idea right now what we're going to talk about. They'll tell me in the morning. And then by the time I appear on camera later in the day, I need to have an understanding of what we're going to talk about. I need to have an opinion. I need to have a position. And I can guarantee you, I'm going to have that because of the pressure I have to perform. I just will. Like, I don't know right now, but I know that I'm going to figure it out tomorrow. So I feel like the learning there, I mean, most people don't have a job like this. Most people don't have a job like Kyla does.

19:11But I still think there's something you can take with you. And that is, if you want to connect the dots and be smarter about what is happening in the world, you should just make yourself speak more. Like, you should say more things at work. When you're in a meeting, you should just force yourself to say something, have an opinion. You should have that pressure on yourself, maybe at a cocktail party. like, okay, I usually don't have a thought, but I'm going to just take the risk and say it right now. You should do it online. You should post on LinkedIn. You should start a newsletter. I feel like the more you hold yourself accountable to producing thoughts and ideas, which is really uncomfortable to do, but the more you force yourself to do it, I think it really helps you connect the dots and also develop your own perspective.

20:04that might be kind of like an aggressive way to to to get it get it home but i i do feel like that's been a real benefit for me of doing this podcast and doing this stuff it's like i don't have a choice i have to have an opinion on stuff i feel like you can you can do that too in your daily life i think i'm just i don't know if we need like more hot takes i think we need more informed takes and so i would agree yeah i would agree that like people should read the data read the research, and then they should post on LinkedIn. I don't think they need to be just, that's not what you said. You didn't say that they should just post on LinkedIn with whatever they're thinking about.

20:44But I do think - Informed, yes. Yeah, but it is an important caveat. I think it would do a great service to us as a capital S society if people were engaged a little bit more actively in how the news is impacting them. I think it's really important to not internalize it. You know, it can be very stressful. Part of the media environment right now is a little bit of the flood the zone strategy where it is stressful by design. And so I think you kind of just have to know, okay, like, what do I want to learn? Like, what do I want to have a new perspective on and then go and seek that out. And so I don't know if you have to like read everything all of the time because that just might wear you down.

21:33But if you know sort of what you want to be knowledgeable about, like, is it, you know, peptides, which is the new craze in Silicon Valley? Like, do you want to understand everything about that? Like you can go down that rabbit hole. So that's what I recommend is like read and stay informed and then, you know, know what you want to learn about. Read and then speak. Yeah. Crazy. And I'm trusting Matt MC 121 to not just spout off about shit that he has no idea about. I'm trusting you, sir, to understand the ideas. But I do think, again, hold yourself to it. Okay, I've read stuff. I've looked at all the perspectives.

22:10Now it's my job to say something to someone. I think that's an important step that you shouldn't count out. Yeah, you have to approach this with kindness and empathy. So like one thing that I also do to sort of get rid of the noise is I talk to a lot of people. So I'm on the road quite a bit and I'm traveling and I'm talking to people who are real and like not on Twitter.com. And so I think that's also important is like to talk to real people and not to let your perspective totally consume you to where you're not allowing any other input. But it's really a tricky ledge to walk. But you have to make sure, I think, that you're open.

22:49Not to be, like, too prescriptive. But I think you have to be open. And you have to make sure you're approaching people with kindness. Because the world needs a little bit more than that. That is a wonderful place to end. Kyla Scanlon is an economic commentator, educator, and founder of Bread, a financial education platform reaching millions through storytelling and analysis. She's also the best-selling author of In This Economy, How Money and Markets Really Work. Kyla, this has been awesome. I hope Scott is gone again, because we should do this again. Yeah, thanks for having me.

23:33Schön Fußball gucken mit den Jungs. Doch als zur Halbzeit bei euch der Hunger kickt, gibt's nur ein paar lousige Cracker. The more than every single Abwehr. And while you bite the teeth out, you think you should go to Mac's. For the Big McDonald's hunger, try the new Big Gouda and the Big Tasty Red Steakhouse with 100 % rice from Germany. So long the food is not to our breakfast.

24:11The new SEAT Ibiza. Ab 175 Euro monatlich leasen. Mehr Infos unter seat.de und bei deinem SEAT Partner.