Press Room

Young Savers are Quids in at the Bank Of Mum And Dad But Does it Really Help Them?
(22 June 2005)

Offering cash handouts to a son or daughter struggling to stand on their own two feet could do more harm than good, according to new research by NatWest Primeline*. Parents, willing to stick their hands in their pockets, might think they are helping their young ones find their financial feet but in fact their children are 25% more likely to go overdrawn compared to those that never take hand outs.

This latest piece of research from NatWest Primeline also finds that parents who feel their children should have achieved financial maturity and flown the nest long ago may only have themselves to blame, as a third of young adults surveyed say Mum and Dad have never taught them how to manage their money.

Getting a child to understand the value of money has been a long time battle for many parents. However, figures show that many offsprings already do understand but choose not to let on because they just don't want to lose out. Just over 40% of all 18-34 year olds living at home said they do exactly that simply because they don't want to be worse off. Parents of boys are most likely to feel the financial burden for longer even though boys are twice as likely as girls to have savings. Half of all boys admit to staying at home purely to hang on to their cash, compared to only a quarter of all girls.

Encouragingly, over two fifths of those under 25 surveyed claim they never rely on their parents for financial support and figures show that once they achieve financial independence, they want to keep it that way. Whilst on face value this looks like good news for parents, they are in for a shock if they fall on hard times themselves and turn to their children for help. A quarter of those who never ask Mum or Dad for cash said they would not be happy to offer any financial support to their parents in the future. There is however some solace for parents who have had enough of giving hand-outs as nine out of ten of those dependants who still ask their parents for money say they are happy to return the favour.

John Wills, Head of NatWest Primeline, said: "Financial independence can at first seem very daunting but perhaps a little advice is all that's required to summon the confidence to fly the financial nest. Those young people whose parents have never taught them to manage their finances can still find advice to help them stand on their own two feet. At Primeline, we provide each customer with a personal bank manager to help support them through any change in circumstances.

"Primeline also offers 24 hour access to your finances, allowing young savers to manage their finances even more effectively - perhaps then they may be more willing to offer financial support to their parents should the need arise."

Notes to Editors:

• This research was carried out by TNS in May 2005.
• A representative sample of 2,155 British adults were interviewed.