Forget love at first sight — for Gen Z, it’s love at first bank statement.
Romance in 2025 is looking less like a rom-com and more like a merger — with Gen Z treating relationships like corporate consolidations, where assets, not only affections, are under scrutiny.
“Wealth is becoming more essential in marriage,” Dr. Eliza Filby, a generational researcher, recently told Newsweek.
The creator of “Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk In regards to the Bank of Mum and Dad,” added, “It’s the merging of two banks of mom and pop. It’s the merging of dynasties.”
That’s right — Netflix-and-chill is getting replaced by credit-check-and-chill.
Filby says young lovebirds aren’t just picking partners based on chemistry anymore. In today’s economy, family fortunes could be the actual aphrodisiac.
“The truth is that life possibilities and opportunities aren’t any longer shaped by what we learn or earn, but by whether we’ve got access to the bank of mom and pop,” she told the outlet.
And that’s not only a metaphor.
The so-called “parents’ bank” is now one in every of the largest players within the U.S. economy, transferring trillions through gifts, property and inheritance.
Actually, a 2018 Legal & General study found it ranked because the seventh-largest mortgage lender within the country.
“That pathway into maturity — leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married, having kids — it’s now so expensive that the majority young people cannot do it without family support,” Filby said.
No surprise, then, that increasingly more financially strapped Gen Z daters are swiping right not only for love, but for long-term liquidity.
Amber Brooks, editor-in-chief of dating advice site DatingNews.com, previously told The Post that younger generations aren’t afraid to consider funds when filtering out flings.
“We’re seeing young people be more upfront about how a partner’s profession or lifestyle could impact their future,” Brooks said. “They aren’t being shallow—they’re being strategic.”
In other words: screw a meet-cute at a coffee shop — Gen Z desires to know your 401(k) before they even know your favorite color.
It’s a far cry from the times of star-crossed lovers and fairy-tale endings.
Today’s Gen Z daters are choosing power couples over puppy love — and don’t mind if that sounds a bit transactional.
Call it capitalism with cuddles.
And in case your dynasty isn’t stacked with generational dollars? You would possibly end up ghosted — financially and romantically.
“While we once believed in a meritocracy,” Filby said, “the concept education and labor would naturally result in prosperity, times are changing.”
Looks like Gen Z isn’t just on the lookout for “the one” — they’re on the lookout for “the one with a trust fund.”
Forget love at first sight — for Gen Z, it’s love at first bank statement.
Romance in 2025 is looking less like a rom-com and more like a merger — with Gen Z treating relationships like corporate consolidations, where assets, not only affections, are under scrutiny.
“Wealth is becoming more essential in marriage,” Dr. Eliza Filby, a generational researcher, recently told Newsweek.
The creator of “Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk In regards to the Bank of Mum and Dad,” added, “It’s the merging of two banks of mom and pop. It’s the merging of dynasties.”
That’s right — Netflix-and-chill is getting replaced by credit-check-and-chill.
Filby says young lovebirds aren’t just picking partners based on chemistry anymore. In today’s economy, family fortunes could be the actual aphrodisiac.
“The truth is that life possibilities and opportunities aren’t any longer shaped by what we learn or earn, but by whether we’ve got access to the bank of mom and pop,” she told the outlet.
And that’s not only a metaphor.
The so-called “parents’ bank” is now one in every of the largest players within the U.S. economy, transferring trillions through gifts, property and inheritance.
Actually, a 2018 Legal & General study found it ranked because the seventh-largest mortgage lender within the country.
“That pathway into maturity — leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married, having kids — it’s now so expensive that the majority young people cannot do it without family support,” Filby said.
No surprise, then, that increasingly more financially strapped Gen Z daters are swiping right not only for love, but for long-term liquidity.
Amber Brooks, editor-in-chief of dating advice site DatingNews.com, previously told The Post that younger generations aren’t afraid to consider funds when filtering out flings.
“We’re seeing young people be more upfront about how a partner’s profession or lifestyle could impact their future,” Brooks said. “They aren’t being shallow—they’re being strategic.”
In other words: screw a meet-cute at a coffee shop — Gen Z desires to know your 401(k) before they even know your favorite color.
It’s a far cry from the times of star-crossed lovers and fairy-tale endings.
Today’s Gen Z daters are choosing power couples over puppy love — and don’t mind if that sounds a bit transactional.
Call it capitalism with cuddles.
And in case your dynasty isn’t stacked with generational dollars? You would possibly end up ghosted — financially and romantically.
“While we once believed in a meritocracy,” Filby said, “the concept education and labor would naturally result in prosperity, times are changing.”
Looks like Gen Z isn’t just on the lookout for “the one” — they’re on the lookout for “the one with a trust fund.”
