Dear Class of 2026

If you are a graduate, this is what you’re walking into.

You spent four years working toward a degree. And now you’re graduating into a job market where AI is eliminating the entry-level roles that new graduates have always relied on to get their foot in the door. The cost of living has made moving out on your own feel almost impossible. Like most of your graduating cohort, you may be planning to move back home instead of renting your own apartment, because of the harsh reality of the economy. And perhaps, this is the most overwhelmed you’ve ever felt in your life.

And yet, your friends and family are going to hand you a congratulatory card with some flowers and call it a day.

You can do better.

The Financial Reality After Commencement

According to this year’s Intuit Life-ing Report, 65% of this year’s graduates feel confident about their careers but only 51% feel confident about their finances. This makes a lot of sense since financial literacy is still not required in most schools, and the financial world was not designed to be easy to enter.

A study released this month found that Gen Z correctly answered only 38% of questions on a basic personal finance quiz - the worst score of any generation tested. Not because they’re not smart. It’s because nobody taught them basic finance.

You might ask: “Who cares about a random test score?” It matters because the research links low financial literacy to real, measurable harm. Compared to adults with high financial literacy, those with low scores are 4 times more likely to have trouble making ends meet, 3 times more likely to be unable to cover a $2,000 emergency, and 4 times more likely to have no emergency savings at all. It’s a vulnerability that leads to real harm.

So, as a graduate, how can you proactively address this?

What a Real Graduation Gift Looks Like in 2026

The traditional graduation gift such as flowers, a gift card, a piece of luggage or something practical for your new apartment isn’t wrong. But it won’t build your financial foundation.

What you need is a head start. Money that starts working for you long before you’ve figured everything out. Money that compounds while you’re job hunting, apartment searching, student loan navigating, and adulting for the first time. Money that comes from the people who already believe in you.

That’s exactly what an investment gift registry does.

Instead of one person giving one gift, an investment gift registry lets everyone in your life (family, friends, colleagues, your followers on social media, anyone), contribute directly to your investment account. Every contribution goes straight into the investments you selected and starts growing immediately.

It’s not cash sitting in a checking account waiting to be spent. It’s not a gift that becomes clutter. It’s an actual investment, working from day one, funded by the people who love you.

Why This Moment Matters More Than Usual

Every generation of graduates has faced something hard. But the class of 2026 is navigating a genuinely unusual combination: a job market disrupted by AI, student loan pressure, a high cost of living, and the lowest financial confidence of any recent graduating class.

What you need most right now isn’t more financial advice. What you need is a foundation. Something solid underneath you while you figure out the rest.

An investment portfolio, even a small one funded entirely by gifts from people who love you is exactly that foundation. And it’s the kind of financial security that doesn’t require you to have it all figured out first.

How to Maximize your Endowe Registry

If you’re a graduate thinking about setting up an Endowe registry, here’s the simplest way to bring it up:

“I set up an investment registry for my graduation. Any amount you gift goes directly into my investment portfolio. Here’s the link if you’d like to contribute instead of a physical gift.”

That’s it. An easy, meaningful option for the people who were going to give you something anyway.

With lots of love,
Your godmother Ada