Young Aussie left baffled by major bank’s ‘out of touch’ questions during a branch visit to do basic admin
A young Australian was left stunned after a banker asked her ‘no tactile’ questions about her savings goals, amid the country’s cost of living crisis.
Jess, 28, posted her story on Tick Tock about her encounter when she visited a bank branch to change her surname because she had gotten married within the last twelve months.
The banker offered to do a financial health check for her while she was there, but she was baffled by their questions.
“And the first question was: what are your savings goals right now? Are you trying to buy a new car, an investment property or a house?’ she said.
Jess said she probably seemed “rude” to the employee because she was “literally mocking.”
Jess, 28, (pictured) said she probably seemed ‘rude’ to the employee as she ‘literally mocked’ the questions she was asked at a bank branch
“I was just thinking, how do you ask someone in their late 20s in this economy what my savings goals are?” she said.
Jess shared that she had “zero” savings goals at the moment and was trying to “keep my head above water.”
The young Australian, who lives in Melbourne, told me news.com.au Despite earning $80,000 a year, the banker’s demand felt “out of reach.”
“It ignores how difficult living justly is for people right now. With the costs for groceries, rent and gasoline. Who has the money to save for a house?’ she said.
In her Tick TockJess said that she just tries to pay for the essentials in life, like rent and food, and saves a small amount at a time.
“I don’t have goals to buy a house because I know it’s so unattainable in this economy,” she said.
“It just baffles me. I just want to have money to live, be happy and just survive.’
Australians were quick to agree, with many admitting they were struggling too and agreeing that banks ‘couldn’t read the room’.
The young Aussie said she is just trying to keep her ‘head above water’ and is unable to save for a house due to the high cost of necessities such as groceries
An increasing number of Aussies are living paycheck to paycheck – leaving them with no cushion in case of emergencies or unexpected bills
‘[The] The goal is to make it to the end of the week,” one person wrote.
“We can barely live at the moment, let alone have a financial goal,” said another.
Jess, who is originally from Adelaide, said she couldn’t afford to buy a house in Melbourne or her hometown because the prices are “crazy expensive”.
The young Australian said that even with government incentives, home ownership will “probably remain a dream”, even for a small apartment close to the city.
‘It’s sad to see me and most of my friends starting to accept that this won’t happen. Especially if rent and grocery costs rise, living away from home and saving for a home is not realistic,” she says.
Jess shared that most of her friends are just getting by and she’s just trying to put money aside for each check to renovate an old trailer.
The Tik Toker knows that even her dream of traveling around Australia in the van is a privilege and out of reach for many people.
“We need to spread out the renovations that everyone is paying for because there just isn’t enough and the cost of everything is getting higher and higher,” she said.
Aussies are feeling the impact of high inflation and interest rates, as well as increased food and rising housing costs, leaving many living paycheck to paycheck, leaving very little to save each week.
Forty-five percent of Aussies who took part in a recent survey on comparison website Finder said they have less than $1,000 in their bank account, giving them a very small cushion against cost-of-living pressures.