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☆ Who are the eager beaver holiday shoppers unhindered by inflation? Gen Z
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

They’re Gen Z. “One standout this Black Friday was the high turnout of Gen Z in stores,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry analyst with market research firm NPD. They came early, they came with friends, and they came to shop.”She said the prevalence of younger shoppers on Black Friday and over the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend surprised her. Mall operator PREIT, which owns 18 shopping centers primarily on the East Coast, confirmed that Gen Z consumers were out in force. “For Gen Z, it wasn’t just about shopping.

☆ Gen Zers are taking on more debt, roommates, and jobs as their economy gets worse and worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Gen Zers are taking on credit-card debt — and missing their payments — at a rising rate. Amounts of credit-card debt and delinquency rates are on the rise, especially among 18- to 29-year-olds. But if a recession comes, Gen Zers could be among the hardest hit due to mounting debt, few savings, and vulnerability to layoffs. US credit-card debt overall rose $38 billion between July and September of this year, per the New York Fed. For older Gen Zers, the delinquency rate rose to over 6%, though still below the roughly 9% pre-pandemic rate.

☆ People with perfect credit scores have 3 key traits in common, Experian reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The few people who do manage to achieve perfect credit scores tend to share three key traits, according to Experian's latest analysis. People with perfect scores are typically older"You're not likely to see many 25-year-olds with a perfect credit score," Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst for LendingTree, tells CNBC Make It. People with 850 credit scores tend to carry about $2,588 in credit card debt, compared to the national average of $5,221. A near-perfect credit score is good enoughAlthough having a perfect 850 credit score may earn you bragging rights, it doesn't come with many additional benefits. "The reality is that you're not going to get anything with an 850 credit score than you wouldn't be able to get with an 830 credit score, or really even a 780 or 790 credit score," says Schulz.

☆ I visited 2 busy malls in Southern California on Black Friday and saw how Gen Zers and millennials are saving the shopping extravaganza
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

"Old habits seemed to have resumed after the disruption of COVID-19," Saunders said. "The younger consumer is really powering a lot of that. It's very noticeable in stores that cater to the younger demographic." Brittany Chang/Insider

☆ Blended travel lets people switch from work to leisure with ease. Here's how hospitality and travel companies are accommodating this experience.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Crowne Plaza Hotels | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For business travelers, this means combining work with leisure or blended travel. Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts reimagined its hotel spaces, amenities, and service culture to help travelers flex between work and leisure. "Many other hospitality brands put the blend into bleisure, but at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, we know the future is about flexibility." Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts"It's vital to provide these transitional moments for the new breed of connected traveler," Taggart said. Book your blended travel experience at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

☆ No More Dinner and a Movie. Cheapskate Daters Want Less.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rachel Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nearly half of single Gen Zers and millennials have suggested or taken someone on a less expensive date due to inflation, according to a recent survey. Looking for love has always been emotionally draining. Now, it will also drain your bank account even more than it used to. That’s why many daters are increasingly pushing back and embracing frugality. It’s a necessity for some, with the price of restaurant meals up 17% and alcoholic beverages away from home up 12% since before the pandemic, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index.

☆ Being a Cheap Date Is Suddenly a Major Plus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rachel Wolfe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Being your own boss comes with some tradeoffs. Here's how Gen Zers are managing the challenges.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gen Z will be a major player in entrepreneurship, with 45% very likely to start a venture. Here's how Gen Z founders are managing loneliness, financial stress, and mental health. In fact, 45% of Gen Zers are very or extremely likely to become founders, according to a 2021 survey of 1,509 Gen Zers by Ernst & Young. But even with the pitfalls that come with starting your own business, young founders do find success. While imposter syndrome and lack of experience are inevitable for many Gen Zers, there are ways to learn and delegate when necessary.

☆ Access to alternative investments have never been easier, but some VCs don't think that's a good thing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider's Asia Martin spoke to some VCs who were skeptical about startups broadening access into these risky, illiquid assets. It's a common dilemma in fintech, as Asia pointed out to me, as access often takes precedence over education. Click here to read more about opening up access to alternatives and why some VCs are questioning it. From political donations to sports teams, this is everything the FTX founder spent money on. We asked top VCs to identify the best startups that help developers build apps for the cloud.

☆ The only good age for applying for a job is 35, according to a former Amazon recruiter. 'Otherwise you're too old and overqualified or you're too young and under-qualified'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

According to Lindsay Mustain, a former Amazon recruiter turned career coach, there's only one good age for job searching and that's 35. "Otherwise you're too old and overqualified or you're too young and under-qualified," she said. And don't list your graduation year because it "invites employers to do math." Explain that you're thinking about your next move and that you're open to advice and warm introductions. Mustain suggests scouring LinkedIn to look for the movers and shakers in your industry.

☆ Is Gen Z working? It all depends on what you consider a 'job.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It's taken time for Americans of all ages to return to work, but older Gen Zers are most lagging. It may all have to do with how Gen Z views a job versus a side hustle or gig work. And those answers could partially explain a question economists are puzzled over: Where have the Gen Z workers gone? While he's uncertain where the missing Gen Z workers have gone, he says childcare needs could be part of the answer. If Gen Z has embraced gig work over the corporate life, it could be among the reasons many of them say they're living paycheck to paycheck.

☆ Pizza for Thanksgiving: Gen Zers trying to save money are ditching tradition in favor of affordability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wells Fargo's report found that the price of groceries has increased at a rate of 9.81%. Items like turkey have become more expensive, so Gen Zers are celebrating Thanksgiving differently. Many young people are also battling student debt — the average loan balance for Gen Zers is $20,900, which is 13% higher than millennials. A survey of 1,000 participants conducted by the financial advisor Personal Capital last month found that 32% of Gen Zers are choosing to adapt their Thanksgiving so they can spend less money. The survey also found that many young people are forgoing the tradition of centering their meal around turkey, opting for a cheaper option instead: pizza.

☆ Gen Z's finances are already tanking, and we're not even in a recession yet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Credit card debt is on the rise, and Gen Z is missing payments at an increasing rate. If the US enters a recession, young Americans could be disproportionately impacted. Consequently, the personal savings rate rose to its highest level on record. That's because young Americans are among the individuals hardest hit by economic downturns. In 2020 for instance, Gen Z's unemployment rate rose from 8.0% in February 2020 to 26.9% in April, while millennials' increased from 4.0% to 14.3%.

☆ Gen Zers increasingly fear that homeownership is a hopeless dream
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z's outlook on homeownership has darkened since 2019 , according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. , according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. The weight of student debt was among the top complaints fielded by Freddie Mac. Younger Americans are also looking particularly overextended with their credit card debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Still, the majority of Gen Z can't seem to get its finances up to snuff, as some numbers bear out.

☆ Some older workers have fond memories of sleeping at the office, but the Elon Musk-style 84-hour workweek is falling flat with younger Americans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Some Twitter employees are working 80-hour weeks and sleeping at the office. Some older workers have fond memories of sleeping at work, but younger Americans aren't on board. Americans are divided on what to make of this, and a workplace-culture expert believes the schism reveals a generational divide. But younger workers are unlikely to buy in, said the best-selling author and workplace well-being expert Jennifer Moss. While older generations worked through the dot-com craze and the rise of Silicon Valley hustle culture, younger workers are changing attitudes around how far you need to go for your job.

☆ Gen Z and millennials are driving growth in the luxury-goods market, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Sarah Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen Z and millennials are the largest drivers of the luxury-goods market, per Bain & Co.Gen Zers purchase luxury items three to five years earlier than millennials, the study found. The luxury-goods market is valued at more than a trillion dollars and is expected to withstand a recession. The luxury-goods market is forecast to be "recession-proof" in 2023, in part because of millennial and Gen Z consumers, who accounted for the growth of the market in 2022, the report found. Gen Zers are buying luxury goods earlier than past generations, and Gen Alpha is expected to follow suit. The luxury industry is more "customer-centric" and "multi-touchpoint" meaning there are more ways to access the luxury market, including digital and virtual shopping experiences.

☆ Gen Z workers are underrepresented in the federal government: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z employees are underrepresented in the federal government, according to a new report. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service analyzed federal retention trends centering on Gen X and Gen Z. The average turnover rate for Gen Z in the federal government — more than 12% — was also significantly higher than the federal government-wide rate at around 6%. Congress will, however, soon have its first Gen Z member in Maxwell Frost, a 25-year-old Democrat who won Florida'sFinancial stability was a chief concern among Gen Z workers, who on average had more than $18,000 in student debt in 2021. With the COVID-19 pandemic still present, workplace flexibility and easy-to-use digital technologies were also among the priorities of Gen X and Gen Z federal employees, according to the report.

☆ Holocaust survivors turn to TikTok to teach a new generation not to forget
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Emma Barnett | Emma Barnett Is An Associate Producer For Nbc News Now. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

In a recent TikTok video, 98-year-old Lily Ebert told her 1.9 million followers about the Auschwitz number tattooed on her forearm: A-10572. Like many Holocaust survivors, Ebert didn’t talk about the experience for decades. The last family photo of Lily and her siblings, taken around 1944; Lily Ebert is bottom right. The social media sensation known for her lighthearted dance videos has 8.7 million followers on TikTok and 2.8 million on Instagram. Those followers are learning through her new TikTok documentary series “How to: Never Forget” that she is also the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors.

☆ Meet the 23-year-old Indian American who flipped a Republican Illinois district
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

An Indian Muslim American who wears a hijab, she remembers the former president’s 2016 Election Day with perfect clarity. Her social media accounts are full of these selfies, thanking the voters who spoke to her by name. Social media helped her broadcast her messages louder than she could have hoped, she said. “There are so many other young South Asian folks that are doing incredible things. Whether it’s politics, comedy, social media, medicine, it’s incredible to see how powerful this demographic is.”

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness is at risk. It may have helped stop a 'red tsunami' as Gen Z flocked to the polls to save their relief.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Student-loan forgiveness was a major policy that had support from the majority of young voters. While it's difficult to pinpoint what exactly may have caused this shift, opinions of young voters should be taken into consideration. Major issues like reproductive rights, climate change, and student-loan forgiveness likely helped with that turnout. Student-loan forgiveness is currently paused due to a ruling from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, in response to a lawsuit filed by six Republican-led states seeking to halt the debt relief. "The youth agenda is taking center stage in the Democratic party"Support for student-loan forgiveness is higher among young voters than the general public.

☆ In Halloween crush, South Koreans see young people being failed again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Then they placed white chrysanthemums on a memorial altar for the 156 mostly young victims of the Halloween crowd crush, and wrote condolences for scores of people who had departed this life decades too soon. Older generations, she said, failed them like they failed the costumed partygoers on Oct. 29. “Why couldn’t the police have gotten there sooner?”South Koreans across the country are asking the same questions. On Monday, Yoon apologized for the crowd crush, vowing to improve police and safety management systems and hold accountable anyone found responsible. The anti-Yoon protests have been going on for weeks with a heavy police presence, including the night of the Halloween crush, which has also angered critics, as has Yoon’s move out of the official presidential residence into a luxury apartment building.

Patrick Pleul/Getty Images; Vicky Leta/InsiderLate Thursday, Elon Musk began his much-anticipated mass layoffs at Twitter. The layoffs are part of a new culture that Musk has unleashed at the company. But now, this person said, the company's new workaholic culture is "psychologically unsafe" and has "Elon's stamp all over it." How Gen Z is shaping the workplace. They're happier, they have a lot more confidence, and they feel like they're able to conquer a lot more than before."

While some creators have been pumping out videos about the midterm elections, searching “midterms” on TikTok shows many young creators are more interested in discussing their midterm exams. “Not a lot of people know about it,” Meadow Treadwell, 20, said about her college-age peers and the midterm elections. “With midterms, I don’t know if it’s because I’m not on that side of TikTok, but I haven’t seen any.”The “midterms” hashtag is full of content about academic midterms. Content with the hashtag “midterm exam” has 16 million views and content with the hashtag “midterm elections 2022” has 12 million views. Polling data suggests young voters are less enthusiastic in 2022 than they were in 2018, when 36% of young voters turned out.

☆ Layoffs have already started at Elon Musk's Twitter. Here's what we know so far.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk began to terminate Twitter staffers last night, insiders told us. Last night Elon Musk's Twitter broke its silence with employees and sent a memo to staffers confirming that much-anticipated layoffs were happening the following day (so, today). But staffers told us the terminations started shortly after that email went out. Workers suddenly started to get locked out of services like Slack and email around 8 p.m. PT on Thursday night, multiple employees told Insider. Citing an "unusual macro-economic environment," Amazon told staff it'd put a pause on new corporate hires.

☆ Gen Z's not lazy — they're just refusing to put up with the toxic work culture that Boomers created
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Kim Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"And I personally think that all of us in Gen Z, when we experienced that with our parents, we were like, 'Fuck that. And now, Gen Z is turning to organizing as a way to stand up to corporate bosses. But she and her Gen Z peers are not ready to accept that mode of thinking. Put simply, young workers want something better than their parents had and aren't afraid to seek it out. Because if there is one quality that Gen Z has in spades, it is audacity — and no mass movement has ever succeeded without it.

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