Talking about finance over New Year's Eve dinner: People's wealth management is becoming more rational and diversified

Staff Reporter Meng Ke

During the Chinese New Year, around the family dinner table, besides the warmth of family gossip, financial topics have also become a hot topic among the “old, middle-aged, and young.”

At an ordinary family’s New Year’s dinner in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, Xiao Ya (pseudonym), a post-95s who has been working for three years, shared her “New Three Golds” (money market funds, bond funds, and gold funds) investment portfolio. Her cousin Li Wei (pseudonym) showed the gold bars he just bought, talking about long-term plans for his children. Xiao Ya’s mother, in her sixties, was planning her “transfer of savings” for after the New Year… A casual chat at the dinner table sketches out the vastly different investment choices of the “old, middle-aged, and young,” reflecting the generational shifts and contemporary characteristics of residents’ financial concepts.

Young Generation: “New Three Golds” Become Popular

“I now divide my funds into three parts, buying money market funds, bond funds, and gold funds. I can use them anytime and still earn some returns, which is much better than just keeping everything in my bank card,” Xiao Ya shared her financial experience. This investment combination, dubbed the “New Three Golds” by young people, has become her and her friends’ standard investment.

As a member of the new workforce, Xiao Ya admits, “Bank deposit interest rates keep falling, and traditional savings can no longer meet my financial needs. The stock market’s volatility also makes me hesitant. The ‘New Three Golds’ are low-threshold, easy to operate, balancing liquidity and stability, which perfectly fits young people’s desire to ‘not take big risks but want their money to grow.’”

Young investors like Xiao Ya are the emerging force in today’s financial market. Ant Fortune data shows that by the end of 2025, over 20 million users on Ant Fortune have assembled their own “New Three Golds,” with nearly half being post-90s young people. Tian Lihui, a finance professor at Nankai University, told Securities Daily, “The rise of the ‘New Three Golds’ marks a significant upgrade in young people’s financial concepts. Growing up in the internet era, they have abandoned passive traditional savings and shifted toward active, diversified asset allocation, integrating finance into daily life.”

Middle-Aged Group: Diversification and Long-term Planning

“My year-end bonus was just enough to buy 20 grams of investment gold bars, which I plan to use as a ‘growth fund’ for my children,” Li Wei said with a smile. “Actually, since my child was born, I’ve had the idea of long-term wealth accumulation for them. Over the past two years, I’ve switched to saving gold. Every year, I plan to set aside some idle funds to buy investment gold bars. When my child turns an adult, it will be a solid fortune.”

Li Wei also said his investment portfolio is quite diversified: some money is deposited in banks for safety; some is invested in stocks and mixed funds in pursuit of higher returns; and some is allocated to bond funds for steady growth.

The investigation found that middle-aged groups like Li Wei are becoming the “balancers” in the financial market. As the economic backbone of their families, they need to balance household expenses, children’s education, and elderly care.

Tian Lihui analyzed that middle-aged investors tend to be more rational and planned in their choices. They are open to new financial methods but still trust traditional, stable assets. They seek the best balance between risk and return, embodying the typical “planned” investor.

Elderly Group: Favor Savings Products

In contrast, parents’ generation has their own “old rules” when it comes to financial management. Xiao Ya’s mother’s investment list is dominated by low-risk products like bank fixed deposits and government bonds. Having witnessed market fluctuations, she understands the importance of “capital preservation” for ordinary families. For the older generation, “not losing money” is the top principle.

The investigation found that elderly investors like Xiao Ya’s mother, especially in third- and fourth-tier cities, prioritize “principal safety” and also focus on “maximizing interest.” They are highly sensitive to interest rate fluctuations across different banks, and “transfer of savings” has become a common practice. “Joint-stock banks and city commercial banks offer higher interest rates than big banks. I definitely choose the higher-yield ones,” Xiao Ya’s mother said frankly. She keeps an eye on the interest rates of various banks and adjusts her holdings whenever she finds better returns.

Influenced by their era and life experience, most elderly investors prefer low-risk, fixed-income savings products. Their financial management is mainly aimed at meeting urgent needs like retirement and medical expenses, rather than value appreciation. They seek peace of mind rather than high returns. Their investment behavior reflects the traditional financial outlook, expressing a straightforward understanding of wealth management held by that generation.

The financial discussions at the New Year’s dinner table reveal the differences among the “old, middle-aged, and young.” From the older generation’s “capital preservation first, only trust savings,” to the middle-aged’s “diversification and risk balancing,” and the young’s “lightweight, proactive planning,” these differences are not only about age and experience but also the imprint of societal development on residents’ financial concepts. Rational planning and prudent investment have become common ground for all generations—protecting their “money bags” and working together toward a better life in the new year.