The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) predicts that the baby boomer generation in Australia will transfer approximately A$3.5 trillion in wealth to their descendants over the next 20 years, with wealthy families increasingly involving younger generations in wealth management and investment decisions at an earlier age. Susie Grehl, Head of Wealth Management at CBA, points out that young people who cannot inherit family wealth need to build their own wealth accumulation capabilities as early as possible. CBA data shows that its digital investment platform, Investing Hub, already has 1.2 million unique users with an average age of 33, and 65% of users are under 35. However, investment thresholds remain a major obstacle: a survey of 803 novice investors conducted by the bank in August 2026 revealed that 42% were worried about investment losses, 30% thought the fees were too high, 29% felt investments were too complex, and 24% believed that a large amount of capital was required to enter the market. With the large-scale intergenerational wealth transfer approaching, the investment participation, financial literacy, and family wealth transfer methods of young people are becoming significant changes in the Australian wealth management market.
