If you’ve spent a lot of time in the past year looking at your bank account balance, you’re not the only one. Nearly all Americans are rethinking their finances as money anxiety increases, according to a new study from Wells Fargo.
A survey of more than 3,700 U.S. adults found that 86% of respondents said they made changes in what, where, and how they buy, and two-thirds said they have delayed spending or payments.
People are looking to take charge over their finances and feel more positive when they sense they’re in control, Emily Irwin, head of Private Wealth Planning at Wells Fargo, told Fortune.
Meanwhile, 84% said they’d rather give up social media for a year compared to just 16% willing to say goodbye to banking apps from Robinhood, Nerdwallet, and traditional financial institutions.
It follows a trend of more Americans trying to be more intentional with their money in a moment where “they feel like their financial lives are messy,” Irwin said.
“They want to kind of check in on their finances,” she explained. “They want to minimize distractions or minimize temptation—positive ones sometimes—but still temptations, nonetheless. And they want to be able to maintain focus on what their intention for their money is, both short-term and long-term.”
Turning to social media and AI for financial advice
As people try to take more control of their finances, they’re looking beyond traditional banking for advice. Gen Z is increasingly turning to social media to decide where to put their money, the study found, with 44% relying on YouTube videos and 34% turning to Instagram or TikTok.
In addition, nearly one-fifth of U.S. adults reported using AI in the past year for financial advice, and twice as many Gen Z adults said they used it. Among the AI users, about 80% said they use it for financial education, like learning the difference between a traditional and Roth 401(k)s, and three-fourths of people ask about financial strategy, Irwin said.
Two-thirds of people who asked AI for money advice acted on its suggestions, according to the study. Of those in that group, 90% said that the advice was profitable or worthwhile. However, questions remain if AI advice leads to long-term profitability, Irwin said.
“AI is a wonderful resource to be able to get education, to be able to ask those questions that maybe, you’ve always been a little bit confused on, or you want to learn more about,” she said, but added people should be cautious when AI offers strategic plans. “I would ensure that before there’s implementation of a strategy, even if it’s profitable, that someone understands what all the alternate paths would be in order to appropriately put a strategy in place.”
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