Younger adults are less likely than older adults to turn to a financial adviser. But using professional advice less often does not necessarily mean they distrust it.

U.S. surveys help separate where people get financial information from whom they trust. They also show why it can be hard to turn that trust into a conversation with a planner.

Where People Turn

Friends and family were the most commonly cited source of financial advice in Gallup’s 2025 survey of U.S. adults, at 43%, followed by financial advisers or planners at 41%. Financial websites were cited by 36%, and banks or credit unions by 32%. Respondents could choose more than one source.

Among adults ages 18 to 29, 57% turned to friends and family. Financial websites and social media each drew 42% of that age group, compared with 27% who turned to advisers or planners. Nearly a quarter, 23%, said they followed personal finance creators on social media.

Use of advisers and planners was higher in each older age group: 40% among adults ages 30 to 49, 45% among those ages 50 to 64, and 51% among those 65 and older. The survey compares age groups at one point in time; it does not show how individuals’ habits change as they age.

Trust and Use

In a 2026 report from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board), 58% of surveyed Gen Z college students said they trusted family for financial advice, and 55% said they trusted financial planners. Yet only one in five received guidance from a planner, and only 5% trusted financial advice from social media influencers.

About two-thirds of the students wanted to learn more about personal finance. According to Kevin Roth, managing director of research at CFP Board, the transition from college to a first full-time job is a good time to offer guidance because graduates often face several new financial decisions at once, including how to repay student loans.

Barriers to Getting Advice

Students cited not knowing where to find the right planner or what to ask as barriers to seeking advice. Some also said they felt they could not afford professional services. Gallup found a related gap by income: 54% of upper-income adults used advisers or planners, compared with 39% of middle-income adults and 20% of lower-income adults.

Online Information

Websites, videos, and money apps can introduce basic concepts at little cost. But in a separate 2025 CFP Board survey of U.S. adults, 57% reported making a financial decision they regretted after relying on misleading online information. Only 39% thought online financial content served their interests.

In that survey, adults ages 25 to 45 were nearly twice as likely as those ages 46 to 64 to believe online financial content served their interests. These respondents also reported more trust in advice from artificial intelligence and social media than the older group did. The survey did not focus on college students.

What Advised Households Report

In CFP Board’s 2025 survey of households it is following over time, 94% of those working with a certified financial planner felt confident they would reach their financial goals. That compared with 85% of households working with other advisers and 81% of households without an adviser.

Among households working with a certified financial planner, 83% reported emergency savings equal to three months of income, and 61% had a will. Among households without an adviser, the figures were 53% and 24%, respectively. Those differences do not establish that working with a planner caused the outcomes.

Before booking a meeting with a planner, write down the decision you want help with, such as how to balance loan repayments with emergency savings. Ask what the meeting would cover and how much it would cost before committing.