A new report on financial wellness reveals the generational divide.

By Amanda Breen | edited by Jessica Thomas | Oct 30, 2026

Key Takeaways

Gen Z is opening retirement accounts earlier than previous generations, per ICI data.

The proactive approach might be influencing the group’s long-term financial outlook.

Thinking about your retirement timeline ? The youngest professionals already are.

In fact, the number of Gen Z households with retirement accounts is three times higher than that of Gen X at the same age, according to a recent report from the Investment Company Institute (ICI).

In its annual report on financial wellness, Payroll Integrations explored the perspectives of employees and employers across generations — and the topic of retirement highlighted a noteworthy divide.

Even though Gen Z professionals might be the furthest group from retirement, they’re the most likely to believe they’ll be able to retire early, the report found.

Sixty-two percent of Gen Z workers expect to retire before…