Forget love at first sight — for Gen Z, it’s love at first bank statement.
Romance in 2025 is looking less like a rom-com and more like a merger — with Gen Z treating relationships like corporate consolidations, where assets, not just affections, are under scrutiny.
“Wealth is becoming more important in marriage,” Dr. Eliza Filby, a generational researcher, recently told Newsweek.
The author of “Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad,” added, “It is the merging of two banks of mom and dad. It is the merging of dynasties.”
That’s right — Netflix-and-chill is getting replaced by credit-check-and-chill.
Filby says young lovebirds aren’t just picking partners based on chemistry anymore. In today’s economy, family fortunes can be the real aphrodisiac.
“The reality is that life chances and opportunities are no longer shaped by what we learn or earn, but by whether we have access to the bank of mom and dad,” she told the outlet.
And that’s not just a metaphor.
The so-called “parents’ bank” is now one of the biggest players in the U.S. economy, transferring trillions through gifts, property and inheritance.
In fact, a 2018 Legal & General study found it ranked as the seventh-largest mortgage lender in the country.
“That pathway into adulthood — leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married, having kids — it is now so expensive that most young people cannot do it without family support,” Filby said.
No surprise, then, that more and more financially strapped Gen Z daters are swiping right not just for love, but for long-term liquidity.
Amber Brooks, editor-in-chief of dating advice site DatingNews.com, previously told The Post that younger generations aren’t afraid to factor in finances when filtering out flings.
“We’re seeing young people be more upfront about how a partner’s career or lifestyle could impact their future,” Brooks said. “They aren’t being shallow—they’re being strategic.”
In other words: screw a meet-cute at a coffee shop — Gen Z wants to know your 401(k) before they even know your favorite color.
It’s a far cry from the days of star-crossed lovers and fairy-tale endings.
Today’s Gen Z daters are opting for power couples over puppy love — and don’t mind if that sounds a little transactional.
Call it capitalism with cuddles.
And if your dynasty isn’t stacked with generational dollars? You might find yourself ghosted — financially and romantically.
“While we once believed in a meritocracy,” Filby said, “the idea that education and hard work would naturally lead to prosperity, times are changing.”
Looks like Gen Z isn’t just looking for “the one” — they’re looking for “the one with a trust fund.”
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