The data: More US adults are using AI to look for ideas or educate themselves about their money—for general financial advice, product or service recommendations, investment ideas, and questions about which bank is the “best.”

For Gen Zers, that proportion is 38%, according to a Wells Fargo survey. Among AI users overall, two-thirds acted on AI-generated suggestions, of whom 90% said the ideas were profitable or worthwhile.

Digging into the data: Gen Zers said they relied on YouTube (44%), Instagram or Tiktok (34%), and online communities (25%) for financial advice.

In addition, 46% of Gen Zers would describe their financial lives as “messy.” Sixty-four percent of parents with Gen Z children ages 18+ said their children rely on them financially, and 56% of those parents said that supporting their children is straining their finances.

Zoom out: Our December 2025 report, US Banking Consumer Habits 2026, reinforces the AI- and social media-first trend.

Younger adults ages 18-44 build financial confidence by cross-referencing sources, watching social content, and prompting AI tools. Almost 40% of younger adults use social platforms like YouTube, Reddit, or Facebook to research services and products, per EMARKETER’s survey.

Implications for banks: Banks need to reevaluate how best to reach consumers and influence their financial decision-making.

• Social media is a well-worn path even as elements of it, like the rise of finfluencers, have changed.
• The growing use of LLMs for product discovery and research means that banks’ content assets need to be LLM-optimized while they revisit the relative value of other channels.
• Within the bounds of regulation, they should also consider apps for LLMs, as insurers and insurance marketplaces have started to do.