Anyway and Raiz Invest have launched Get Invested, a financial education module for young Australians. The initiative follows research by the two companies that found a gap between Gen Z's interest in investing and their confidence to get started.
A survey of 1,013 Australians aged 15 to 24 found that 69 per cent believe investing is essential to their financial future, but only 32 per cent expect to invest in the next 12 months. Just 5 per cent described themselves as confident investors.
The findings also point to broader financial strain among younger Australians. More than four in five respondents, or 83 per cent, said owning a home is impossible without family support, while three in four said they feel financially behind their peers at least some of the time.
Despite that pressure, interest in investing remains strong. Half of those surveyed said they were very or extremely interested in investing. The main motivations were financial independence, cited by 61 per cent, and long-term wealth creation, cited by 55 per cent.
Confidence appears to be the main barrier, rather than a lack of interest. Half of respondents said they do not know where to start with investing, 47 per cent believe they need more than $200 to begin, and only 12 per cent feel confident planning for their financial future.
The research also suggests small-entry products or habits could help. Some 93 per cent said investing would feel achievable if they could start with small, regular amounts.
Confidence gap
Raiz Invest head of product Tom Nguyen said the results showed strong demand for long-term financial security among younger users, but also uncertainty about how to act on it.
"It is not a lack of ambition. It is a confidence gap. Young Australians aren't disengaged from investing, they're overwhelmed by it," Nguyen said.
Anyway and Raiz developed Get Invested as a learning module distributed through Anyway's Learn & Earn platform across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The material is designed for Gen Z users and aims to make investing easier to understand.
The launch reflects a broader push by financial platforms and education services to reach younger consumers through social media rather than traditional channels. For providers, the challenge is not only attracting first-time investors but also addressing low financial literacy and scepticism about whether wealth-building tools are accessible to people on modest incomes.
Raiz is one of Australia's larger micro-investing platforms, with more than 1.5 million sign-ups and more than AUD $2 billion in funds under management. Its business is built on small-scale, automated investing tools such as round-ups and recurring deposits.
Anyway focuses on younger audiences navigating life after school and reaches more than 4 million young people each year. Its services cover career guidance and financial education through digital learning and personalised coaching tools.
Housing pressure
The research comes against a backdrop of rising housing costs and persistent pressure on household budgets. For many respondents, investing appears to be framed less as an optional path to wealth and more as a defensive step against falling behind.
Only one in four respondents said financial freedom before the age of 40 is realistic. That finding adds to evidence of a generational shift in how younger Australians view economic mobility, especially as property ownership becomes harder to attain.
Anyway co-founder Will Stubley said the issue was not persuading young people that investing matters, but helping them feel able to take the first step.
"What we're seeing is a generation that's desperate to build financial security but is being held back by a lack of accessible education and confidence," Stubley said.
He said younger Australians needed practical guidance that reduced complexity, rather than more messaging about the importance of investing.
"Young people don't need to be convinced that investing matters. They need to be shown that investing is actually for them, and that you can start with $5," Stubley said.
The new module is intended to provide that entry point through short-form educational content aimed at students and early earners, who made up much of the survey sample. Respondents came from metropolitan, regional and rural Australia, with a weighting towards high school and university students and those in the early stages of managing their own finances.
Stubley said the partnership is intended to lower barriers to entry for a group that increasingly sees financial planning as necessary but hard to access.
"Through this partnership, we want to give young people a practical, low-barrier starting point and help demystify investing in a way that feels relevant to their lives," Stubley said.