Wealth Building Report 2026

Finder's Wealth Building Report 2026 sheds light on how Australians build their wealth, offering insights for those seeking to improve their financial future. The report combines survey data from the Finder Wealth Report Survey of 1,001 active investors and the ongoing Consumer Sentiment Tracker, aiming to uncover the behaviours and values driving Australians' wealth-building journeys.

Australia's wealth story

Australia is wealthier than ever. For the 13th consecutive year, the net wealth of Australian households has grown, now sitting at $1.63 million. This represents a spectacular rise of 208% since 2004. However, not everyone has benefitted from this transformation.

This wealth remains heavily concentrated in two Australian staples: property and superannuation. Together, these assets account for 73% of household net wealth. While those with exposure to these markets have benefited from recent booms, it also means those with significant wealth are increasing their concentration risk. Diversification remains a challenge when these two asset classes dominate the national balance sheet.

The stunning surge in household wealth has highlighted the importance of "time in the market." Analysis of 1,000 investors shows that mature investors (aged 40+) who started in their 20s have an average net wealth of $1.74 million, compared to just $1 million for those who started in their 40s.

Our expert says

"The impact of starting to invest when you're young is clear. One of the easiest and most effective ways to start investing in your 20s and 30s is by making extra contributions to your super. This doesn't need be much - even $5 to $10 a week will really add up over decades of working. Plus, there are great tax advantages of adding to your super too."

Alison Banney

Editorial Manager, Money

What about the Bank of Mum and Dad?

• Over 2 in 5 Australian investors (41%) received financial gifts or loans from family to assist with life expenses.
• The most common expenses family helped with were weddings (13%), property deposits (12%), and car purchases (12%).
• Younger generations are more reliant on this support: 57% of Millennials received assistance compared to just 22% of Baby Boomers.

Our expert says

"The 'Bank of Mum and Dad' has become a critical wealth generator. While those already on the property ladder see rising values, those locked out find wealth milestones, like owning their own home, almost impossible without parental assistance."

Graham Cooke

Head of Consumer Research

How are Australians growing their wealth?

• The net wealth of the average Australian household grew by 3.4% in 2025.
• Budgeting, cutting back on expenses, and investing frequently remain the primary drivers for wealth growth.
• Millennials are twice as likely as Gen X (13% vs 5%) to credit working in a high-paying field as their main wealth contributor.
• Gen X places a greater emphasis on paying off debt (11%) compared to Millennials (7%).

Managing money and the savings gap

• The average investor has $92,563 saved, while the average Australian has less than half this amount ($43,663).
• Only 2% of investors have an empty savings account, compared to 19% of the general population.
• Investors are significantly more likely to have financial safeguards: 56% have a will and 27% have life insurance.

The rise of alternative advice

• Traditional financial advice is becoming more popular, with 33% of investors using an advisor in 2025, up from 27% in 2024.
• AI-powered tools are filling the gap for younger investors, with 57% of Millennials using AI for financial decisions.
• Social media influence is high among younger cohorts: 69% of Gen Z investors say social media influences their investment decisions.

Our expert says

"To truly build resilience, we must look to diversify income, build liquid emergency buffers and, crucially, start investing outside of our homes and super funds. Property is a pillar of wealth, but it shouldn't be the only one holding up the roof."

Graham Cooke

Head of Consumer Research

• 2024 report

  

  Finder's Wealth Building Report sheds light on how Australians build their wealth, offering insights for those seeking to improve their financial future. The report combines survey data from consumers actively building wealth and those who are not, aiming to uncover the behaviours and values driving Australians' wealth-building journeys.

  Key statistics

  • The average household has a net wealth of $1.58 million.
  • 74% of household net wealth is held in super and property.
  • There are 2.8 million Australian millionaires (13% of the adult population).
  • 97% of investors have a financial goal compared to 76% of non-investors.

  Australia's wealth story

  Australia is a wealthy country when compared to the rest of the world. The average household has a net wealth of $1.58 million according to the national accounts released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia is ranked fifth in the world for average wealth per adult and second for median wealth per adult, behind Luxembourg.

  This wealth is overwhelmingly held in two Australian staples: property and superannuation. Households have $3.9 trillion in superannuation assets and just shy of $10.5 trillion in residential land and dwelling value. Without residential property, average household net wealth drops to $573,252 and excluding superannuation, it falls further to $196,778 – almost one-tenth of the original figure.

  This stunning surge in household wealth has minted roughly 2.8 million Australian millionaires as of October 2024. This is 13% of the adult population and one of the highest proportions globally. Many of these millionaires have landed in this once-elusive club simply because the value of their homes has grown. The number of millionaires drops to 1.1 million (5% of Australian adults) when we remove the value of the principal place of residence in net wealth calculations.

  The raw amount of wealth in a country is only one factor when considering the prosperity of its citizens. It is also important to understand how evenly that wealth is distributed.

  What about wealth equality?

  • Australia ranks among the top countries in the world for wealth equality. Our riches are more evenly distributed than the US and the UK.
  • Although Australia has one of the best equality ratings, that doesn't mean our wealth is perfectly distributed. Almost 1 in 6 (16%) households with more than $100,000 in combined income own 2 or more properties.
  • Australians with investments are twice as likely (16% to 8%) to have received parental support for a house deposit.

  

  Our expert says

  "The bank of Mum and Dad has given some lucky Australians a wealth boost by removing common burdens such as saving for a house deposit. Removing these burdens can unlock the time and money required to explore other wealth building avenues like investing in shares and establishing passive income streams."

  

  Graham Cooke

  Head of Consumer Research

  How are Australians growing their wealth?

  • The most common factor that contributed the most to investors' net wealth was budgeting carefully and reducing expenses (38%).
  • Investing frequently (12%) and paying off debt (9%) round out the top 3 contributors.
  • Interestingly, 10% of investors credited marrying well or receiving an inheritance as the primary factor behind their net wealth.

  Managing money effectively

  • The majority of Australia's investors (84%) have a frugal habit that supports their investing behaviours, compared to 75% of non-investors.
  • The most popular frugal habits among investors include buying discounted groceries (59%), eating home-cooked meals (44%) and regularly comparing and switching household bills (34%).
  • This frugality partly explains why investors, on average, allocate 23% of their income towards investments and savings, compared to just 14% for Australians who do not invest.

  Risks and financial setbacks

  • Investment loss was the most common financial setback among investors with 21% experiencing it.
  • Non-investors were less likely to experience financial setbacks, with 42% reporting one, compared to 52% of investors.
  • Those investors who experienced an investment loss had a higher median net wealth ($1.1 million) than the overall median of all investors ($913,000).

  

  Our expert says

  "Risk in itself can be positive as it allows us to access higher returns. The real challenge is getting the balance right, and moving away from the mindset that not investing comes without any risk."

  

  Thomas Stelzer

  Journalist

  Actively building wealth

  • Nearly all investors (93%) have taken steps to build their wealth, compared to just 60% of non-investors.
  • Australians who own investments are nearly 5 times more likely to have increased their superannuation contributions and 9 times more likely to have established passive income streams.
  • Investors with a net wealth exceeding $1 million are much more likely to have at least one passive income source than non-investors.

  

  Our expert says

  "Due to the compounding nature of investing and building wealth, the sooner you start the better your outcomes are likely to be.

  A common excuse or belief is that people need to save up enough money to start investing and build an investment portfolio. That may have been true in the past, but over the last 10 to 15 years, the advent of fractional investing and other tech innovations have made it much easier to get started investing and building wealth with small amounts. In fact, you can now get started with as little as $1."

  

  Sarah Megginson

  Money expert + media spokesperson

  Sources

Written by

Joshua Godfrey

Senior Insights Analyst

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Joshua Godfrey is a Senior Insights Analyst at Finder, specialising in data analysis and identifying emerging trends through the Consumer Sentiment Tracker, a monthly survey on Australians' financial attitudes. He has authored Finder’s 2024 Wealth Building Report and 2025 First Home Buyer Report which have been widely quoted in top media outlets like the AFR and news.com.au. With a Bachelor of Business in Finance and Marketing and a Diploma of Creative Intelligence from UTS, Josh is passionate about uncovering patterns in consumer sentiment and exploring how they influence the future of finance. See full bio

Joshua's expertise

Joshua has written 42 Finder guides across topics including:

• Data and analytics
• Money trends
• Data journalism