With year-end bonuses in hand, young people from Generation Z are shifting from a spending spree to a saving spree, joining those who prioritize saving over spending. They are exploring ways to live off the interest without touching their principal, seeking like-minded "saving buddies," and even becoming "savings commandos" in pursuit of high-interest deposits. This new trend of creative saving is quietly gaining popularity.

As volatility in the financial market has increased in recent years, more and more young peoplefavor low-risk financial products and are enthusiastic about saving money. The ways in which young people save money are diverse and innovative. One popular method among Gen Z savers, the "12-deposit method," involves depositing a one-year term deposit in the bank every month. Starting from the 13th month, savers can withdraw the principal and interest from the deposit that matured a year ago and reinvest them into a new deposit. This ensures that there are always 12 deposits on hand, forcing individuals to save money regularly. In case of an urgent need for funds, savers can withdraw a recently deposited certificate without losing interest.

As interest rates generally decline, the "commando-style savings" approach has quietly become popular among young people. Some depositors, in pursuit of higher deposit rates, are willing to travel across cities or even provinces to deposit money in banks elsewhere. Many young people share their "commando savings" experiences and strategies on social media platforms. For example, a netizen living in Sichuan compared the interest rates of large-denomination deposits in Sichuan and Guangdong Provinces and found that while Chengdu's three-year annual interest rate for deposits is around 3.4%, some banks in Guangzhou and Shenzhen offer rates as high as 3.9%. This motivated them to fly over 1,300 kilometers to deposit money in batches in Guangdong.

Although young people currently favor low-risk financial methods, saving is not their only option. A recent report by Xiaohongshu (RedNote) and Ant Fortunehighlighted the "2024 Top Ten Financial Management Trends for Young People,"which include trends like"living off interest," "seeking small profits," and "welcoming the stock market anew." With declining bank interest rates, many young people are no longer satisfied with simply depositing funds into current or fixed-term bank accounts. Instead, they are seeking better-yielding alternatives such as money market funds, bond funds, short-term financial products, and treasury reverse repurchase agreements. The mindset of "seeking small profits" is prevalent, and prudent financial management has become a common belief among young people.

In the past, "bao bao (baby-style)" money market funds, known for their convenience and liquidity, were the preferred choice for young investors. However, in recent years, the market has changed dramatically, and the returns on these funds have continued to decline. An increasing number of young investors are now turning their attention to bond funds as a more lucrative alternative. Data from the Ant Fortune shows that users who have increased their holdings in bond funds average 10 additional purchases per year. Among bond fund holders, about 84% have reported positive returns. Buying bond funds has gradually become popular among Gen Z.

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

从“买买买”到“攒攒攒”，“Z世代”开始热衷存钱

年终奖到手，“Z世代”年轻人们开启告别“买买买”模式，纷纷投身“攒攒攒”的大军：不花本金仅靠“用利息生活”、寻找志同道合的“存钱搭子”，甚至化身“存款特种兵”追寻高息存款……花式存钱的新风潮正悄然流行起来。

记者注意到，近年来理财市场的波动性增加，越来越多年轻人青睐低风险的理财产品，甚至热衷于“攒钱”。年轻人存钱的方式花样百出。比如“12存单法”，既每月在银行存入一张一年期的存单，从第13个月开始，取出一年前已到期存单的本金和利息，并连同当月需存入的金额继续存入一张新的存单，以保证手头固定有12张存单。这种方法可以强制自己存钱，同时如果急需要用钱时，可以取出近期存入的存单，以避免损失利息。

随着利率普遍下行，“特种兵式存款”的理财方式在年轻人中悄然流行起来。部分储户为了追求更高的存款利率，不惜跨城甚至跨省去其他地方银行存款。许多年轻人在社交平台上分享自己的“特种兵存款”经历和攻略：生活在四川的网友对比四川和广东大额存单利率发现，四川成都银行三年期年利率为3.40%左右，但广州、深圳有银行的年利率可达3.9%，于是坐飞机跨越1300多公里前往广东分批存款。

尽管当前年轻人热衷于风险低的理财方式，但存款并非他们唯一的选择。日前，小红书联合蚂蚁财富平台发布《2024年轻人十大理财趋势盘点》，“用利息生活”、“只求微赚”和“股市迎新”等成为年度理财现象。银行利率下调促使年轻人不再满足于将资金简单地存入银行活期或定期账户，而是寻找货币基金、债券基金、短期理财产品、国债逆回购等收益更优的替代品，“只求微赚”心态盛行，稳健理财成为年轻人普遍观念。

曾经“宝宝类”货币基金以其操作便捷、流动性强等优势，成为年轻人理财首选。然而，近年来市场风云变幻，宝宝类货币基金理财收益率持续下行。越来越多年轻理财一族将目光瞄准了“宝宝类”货币基金的平替产品——债券基金。蚂蚁财富平台数据显示，有债券基金有加仓行为的用户，平均一年的加仓次数为10次，债基持仓用户中，约有84%实现了收益。买债券基金已经逐步在年轻人中开始流行起来。

文丨记者 莫谨榕
翻译丨赵凡
审校丨麦芯羽