Does Financial Freedom Exist For Gen-Zs in 2025?

Gen-Z is broke. But it’s not just us; it’s all generations in 2025.

In the 90s, when wealth creation was not as elusive, and financial freedom could be attained in calculated steps, labour and ownership were ingrained into each person through culture and community. If you worked hard enough at Uncle Agu’s farm, you’d start yours soon enough.

While most of our parents didn’t know it, they built wealth by being entrepreneurs and founders, controlling the financial narrative of their lives. It helped them build layers of education, investment, property acquisition, and scalable businesses that have converted well into their aged years.

In 2025, that formula feels broken.

Since tech, entrepreneurship, and 9-5 jobs have replaced the old systems and the economy has degenerated (thanks to inflation, debt, and corruption), wealth creation must take a new approach. From loans to savings and investments, here are a few things that have redefined what financial freedom means to Gen Zs and how they can attain it. But first, the big question:

What Is Financial Freedom?

Financial Freedom, according to Matt Danielsson of Investopedia, means having enough savings, investments, and cash on hand to afford the lifestyle you want for yourself and your family.

But he’s not Gen Z. He’s not even most people. To some people, financial freedom may be defined as paying bills and having a little leftover, while for others, it is measured by the amount of savings they’ve accrued or the properties they own.

Generally, Financial freedom means to be in charge of your finances, whatever that means to you.

How Can Gen Zs Attain Financial Freedom in 2025?

In a sane world, there should be a formula for this. Perhaps the almighty formula (quadratic equation) would be the best fit. In today’s world, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for wealth creation. The world has evolved so much, and so has money. With the many vast ways to make money, here are the popular ways to build wealth as Gen Z in 2025:

• Savings

Of all the useful lessons taught in Economics - scale of preference, demand and supply, opportunity cost, and the like, the most important lesson was to save money. The cost of not saving early (either willingly or through a pension) is a future of hardship. And to be honest, the economy is tough enough at the moment; let’s avoid moving from frypan to fire without a cushion. Savings don’t just serve as a hedge against rainy days; they also curb excessive spending habits and help you build a support system for businesses and family responsibilities, one step after the other.

If you’re looking to save, you can explore channels like cooperative societies (ajo), piggy banks (kolo), banks and financial institutions that specialize in savings.

• Investment

Think of this as savings on steroids. With the advent of financial technology creating new opportunities for profitable investment, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps the bull run of crypto from the early 2010s is the best example of how investing early has transformed lives in seconds.

The right asset, shares, venture, or crypto project could be the key. For most of these, risks exist due to the market volatility, but not taking the risk is a greater risk itself. If you’re looking to build wealth as a Gen-Z, it’s too late to ask you to buy some bitcoin or Ethereum, even Pi is pulling, but be on the lookout for the next big thing.

Don’t be afraid to explore the stock market, buy shares early, and acquire a property or two. Many realtors allow you to pay installments - explore that.

To get started, here are 9 Investment Options For Nigerians in 2025 according to Leadway.

• Entrepreneurship

We call them side hustles. Lifesavers. Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). It’s when Bisola - a banker by profession - decides to start selling wigs to diversify her streams of income. Or when Samuel makes chin-chin on the side, when he’s not busy being a human resource manager. It echoes the commercial history of our ancestors, helps the business owners lead a more rounded, purposeful life, and build something to cushion any curveball life throws (e.g., unemployment, retirement, emergency scares).

Several professionals are beginning to turn to consultancy, influencer marketing, and agency creation, and this makes perfect sense. According to Creative Brief, the African creator economy as a whole was valued at $3.08 billion in 2023 and is projected to balloon to $17.84 billion by 2030. For context, that’s a 28.5% annual growth rate. If you missed the chance to join the creator economy and build for influencer marketing in 2020, the next best time is now. You can build your career and still secure the future.

The point is, wherever you are on the cadre, there’s always something extra you can do. Find it, and build it.

• Trust Funds

This is peak financial freedom, but trust funds are only available to a select few. Everyone seeking freedom in other categories aims to build a legacy like this for their offspring (me included).

It’s the only category where Gen Z can spend like Mansa Musa, and not need to worry about working, saving, or investing (it’s been done on their behalf). Trust fund babies are also in the best position to invest more and build businesses without fear, and make financial decisions not motivated by financial panic.

TL;DR: The Key Takeaways

Commerce, employment, and education are no longer the leading pathways to wealth creation. Each person’s journey is different, and your financial realities often influence what channel you’ll lean into on your journey to wealth - be it savings, investments, side gigs, an agency, crypto, forex, or a mix of either. Your investment and discipline today predict the future.

Next Steps

Take a step. Literally. Start saving. Plan your finances. Pay bills when due (Squareme can help with), explore sustainable living options for the present and growth for the future. It’s not as hard as it sounds once you have discipline and the right tools.

The truth is, the old model may be broken, but that just means we get to invent a new one. Financial freedom for Gen-Z and Millennials is no longer just about current money- it’s about stability, choice, and the chance to breathe without worry. If you keep stacking these small wins, 2025 won’t be the year you stayed broke - it’ll be the summer you turned the tide.