Again, as Interactive Investor's 52-page study shows, rising levels of unsecured debt among younger generations - as a response to the rising cost of living - also affects their ability to save.
Pincer movement
Of course, as a Gen X, I have extreme empathy for this cohort: caught between a pincer movement of caring responsibilities that demand our time and attention at home, and financial responsibilities that demand our time and attention in the workplace.
On top of this, the knowledge that we're responsible for our own pensionhood, with the prospect of the triple lock being unpicked by the time we hit state retirement age, leaves this cohort treading a fine line between saving more and spending on necessities.
Mortgages, education, bills, caring for parents - if we can't save more, how can we secure a more comfortable retirement in 10-20 years' time when we come to retirement age?
Will we be forced to remain in the workplace for longer, at the expense of spending time with our loved one? Is that the economic trade-off?
Not to mention ill-health, which according to Interactive Investor is the reason 22 per cent of Brits aged 55-65 said they were leaving the workforce.
I don't know what the answer is for the majority of Gen X. We'll have to muddle through, somehow, saving more where and when we can, and keeping on top of the costs.
Certainly help with tax and pension saving strategies, especially for the self-employed among us, will be vital.
I remember seeing a cartoon from an old 1980s Archie Comic, where Mrs Andrews is going through the household accounts and turns to her husband to say: "George, I know how we can make ends meet. We'll have to stop buying necessities".
Advisers, if you have clients in this cohort, they're probably unlikely to be financially stressed, but perhaps you could encourage them to introduce their less well-heeled friends to you for a mid-life MOT?
Even spending a couple of hours talking to an adviser for a few hundred pounds now might be a financial lifeline to many.
It just might be the difference between Mother Hubbard retiring, only to find her cupboard bare, and her being able to keep that pampered pooch in the lifestyle to which it has become accustomed.
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
