Hispanic Investors Hungry for More Investment Knowledge and Education
August 12, 2014
Hispanic investors have a strong appetite for financial education and more sophisticated investment knowledge, according to a recent Wells Fargo survey. Almost half of surveyed Hispanics (45%) say that no one ever taught them about saving and investing (versus 31% of U.S. investors overall), and three out of four (76%) wish they had learned more about managing money when they were growing up (compared to 61% of U.S. investors overall). Most Hispanic investors (72%) stated they wish they knew more about investing in mutual funds, stocks, and bonds (versus 64% of U.S. investors overall).
Despite a strong interest in personal finance and investing, one in three Hispanic investors surveyed (34%) do not feel comfortable investing in mutual funds, stocks, or bonds (versus 27% among U.S. investors overall). However, if they did invest in stocks and bonds, most Hispanics surveyed (70%) felt they would earn money on those investments (12% feel they would lose money, and 18% feel they would break even).
“These findings highlight some interesting attitudes among Hispanic investors and shed light on their strong desire for more education on the fundamentals of investing,” said Steve Novak, Senior Investment Strategist, Wells Fargo Private Bank. “Our findings suggest there’s an opportunity to bolster the investing confidence of Hispanics through knowledge so they can act on what they intuitively know to be true around the importance of investing for their financial futures.”
Additionally, survey responses indicate Hispanic investors are far more risk-averse than others, with almost half (47%) preferring to put money for the future into savings with no risk of losing it (compared to 35% of U.S. investors overall). More than half (56%) of Hispanic investors feel that the best place to keep their savings is in bank accounts (38%) or real estate (18%). In contrast, fewer than half (45%) of all U.S. investors feel that the best place to keep their savings is in bank accounts (32%) or real estate (13%).
One in ten (10%) Hispanic investors give themselves an ‘A’ when it comes to their financial and investing literacy (versus 17% among U.S. investors overall). Half of Hispanic investors (47%) give themselves a grade of ‘B’, and another third (34%) give themselves a ‘C’ (similar to U.S. investors overall).
Strong Connection to Family and Community
Family dynamics play a significant role in how Hispanic investors think about their personal finances and financial future. This is true in terms of lessons learned about money growing up, a sense of responsibility for taking care of family members financially, and how they think about their future retirement.
Fifty-five percent of Hispanic investors agree that “raising and investing in kids is the best retirement plan,” compared to 41% among U.S. investors overall, and one quarter (24%) expect to rely on family members to live and make ends meet in retirement, compared to 13% of U.S. investors overall.
Hispanic investors are also more likely than other investors to lend and borrow money within their families. Almost 60% provide financial support to others in their families or communities, compared to 44% of U.S. investors overall, while half (54%) have lent or given money to an adult family member in the last year, compared to 39% of U.S. investors overall. Of those providing financial support to others, 81% provide direct financial support by giving money or paying bills.
Thirty-one percent of Hispanic investors are supporting adult children, parents, grandparents, extended family, or others, compared to 26% of U.S. investors overall, and 6% are providing financial support for people who live outside the U.S. (compared to 1% of U.S. investors overall).
Among Hispanic investors with kids, 28% say they want their kids out of the house and on their own the day they turn 18 (same as U.S. investors overall). Fifty-nine percent say they want to have money to pass on to family or friends (similar to U.S. investors overall), and 17% say that wanting assets for an inheritance most motivates them to build up their savings and investments (compared to 8% of U.S. investors overall).
Conversations with Parents
Nearly all Hispanic investors polled (92%) say their parents talked “a lot” or “sometimes” about the value and importance of hard work when they were growing up (similar to 89% of U.S. investors overall), but fewer than half said their parents talked as much about financial issues, including:
o how they managed money and spending (45%, similar to 40% of U.S. investors overall)
o what they were saving for and how much (36%, similar to 31% of U.S. investors overall)
o how they were planning for retirement (29%, similar to 33% of U.S. investors overall)
o how much money they made (27%, higher than 19% of U.S. investors overall)
How the Industry Stacks Up
More than half (57%) feel that the financial issues and needs of Hispanic Americans are different from other Americans. Currently, Hispanic investors give above-average grades to their primary banks or financial institutions with which they do the most business. The average grade for being Hispanic-friendly was a ‘B’, and for addressing the needs of Hispanic customers, they received a ‘B’. At the same time, 76% of Hispanic investors say financial services providers treat them with respect, yet 46% feel like they don’t have enough money to get personal attention from banks. The survey revealed that 35% of respondents age 25-39 prefer financial professionals who are Hispanic (compared to 26% of those age 40-49 and 13% of those age 50-59).