The FP Canada™ 2025 Financial Stress Index is an important resource for Certified Financial Planner® professionals and Qualified Associate Financial Planner™ professionals. By reviewing the findings, financial planners can grow their understanding of Canadians’ financial goals, their attitudes toward their finances, and the barriers to financial wellness they face.
This year marks the eighth Financial Stress Index. Since our first survey, we’ve seen shifts in Canadians’ attitudes toward their finances—and our approach to surveying them has evolved, too. In 2025, the Financial Stress Index seeks to uncover larger trends in Canadians’ personal finances and key challenges that prevent them from taking positive steps toward financial wellness.
Exploring these challenges is important, especially at a time when Canadians are contending with an unpredictable economic landscape. There’s an opportunity for professional financial planners like you to act as trusted guides, ushering clients through this moment of uncertainty.
Canadians are Stressed—but that’s not the Whole Story
In its eighth year, the Financial Stress Index reveals that Canadians still feel money is their top source of stress. Despite some fluctuations over time, this sentiment has gradually increased from 38% in 2021 to 42% in 2025.
While the persistence of financial stress comes as no surprise, a closer look at this year’s findings reveals a more complex picture. Canadians who work with a financial professional, such as a CFP® professional or QAFP® professional, are less likely to say money is their top source of stress (34%) than those who don’t (48%). It’s evident that your role as a trusted financial partner has a real and positive impact on your clients’ well-being.
This is most clearly reflected in how Canadians who seek financial help are able to see beyond immediate stressors and feel optimistic about the future. Those who work with a financial professional feel significantly more hopeful about their financial futures than they have in recent years (50% felt hopeful in 2023 and 56% did in 2024, versus 60% in 2025). For those who don’t work with a financial professional, these numbers look very different (44% felt hopeful in 2023, and 48% did in both 2024 and 2025).
These findings reveal the financial confidence that so many Canadians enjoy when they seek the financial help they need. Put simply, there’s great value in working with a professional financial planner.
Unpacking How Different Generations Approach Their Finances
While most Canadians agree that they feel the impact of grocery prices (64%) and inflation (54%), certain stressors have a greater impact on some generations than others.
Forty-five per cent of Canadians ages 18 to 34 say house prices impact their finances the most, while 43% say the same about rent prices. These numbers indicate that housing and homeownership costs are top of mind among younger generations. Naturally, nearly half (49%) of this age group say their idea of achieving financial wellness is owning a home or property, compared to just 36% of those 35 to 54 and 26% of those 55+ who say the same.
In contrast, retirement is a key concern among older Canadians. Over two-thirds (68%) of those 55+ and well over half (61%) of those 35 to 54 say retiring comfortably is what financial wellness looks like for them. Only 46% of those aged 18 to 34 say the same.
Meanwhile, 59% of those who are 35 to 54 say paying off debt is their definition of financial wellness, the highest among all age groups. The heavy focus on debt management for this age group is a key indicator of financial priorities and goals among Canadians who are often juggling work, family, and homeownership all at once.
Of course, everyone has a unique path in life, and their financial priorities will reflect that. However, understanding some of the differing generational attitudes toward money can help financial planners meet the evolving needs of the Canadians they serve.
Helping Canadians Overcome Their Financial Barriers
What makes the eighth Financial Stress Index different from those of previous years is the fact that it’s focused in part on uncovering why many Canadians who grapple with financial stress feel so stuck. Financial stress is important to track, as it serves as a crucial barometer, but the next step is understanding why that stress persists.
Most Canadians (88%) are aware that taking actions such as paying down debt or creating a budget will have a positive impact on their finances. However, there are clear barriers that hinder them from taking control of their financial circumstances. Over half (52%) of Canadians are afraid of making the wrong financial decision and 43% say they procrastinate due to stress or anxiety.
This presents a key opportunity for CFP professionals and QAFP professionals to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians. Who better to ease Canadians' fears of making poor financial decisions and help them take actionable steps like budgeting and creating a financial plan?
Insights are Key to Helping Canadians Achieve Financial Wellness
As a professional financial planner, you’re uniquely positioned to help your clients overcome whichever barriers most affect them, smoothing their paths to financial well-being. The 2025 Financial Stress Index is a resource you can use to further enhance your understanding of Canadians’ financial circumstances and continue highlighting the value of professional financial planning. Below are some thoughts on how you might apply the findings to your practice:
- Celebrate the positive impact of financial planning. Take a moment to appreciate the findings that highlight the value many Canadians enjoy when they seek out financial help from a professional. Let this be a reminder of just how impactful your work is.
- Explore financial barriers. This year’s index contains new insights into the financial roadblocks that you help your clients overcome. Reviewing them can further inform your understanding of the challenges they face.
- Keep an eye on long-term trends. The Financial Stress Index tracks changes over time. Paying attention to how attitudes have changed can help you understand the evolving financial needs of Canadians today, and in the years ahead.
For more insights and resources—such as an infographic, research report, and social media posts that you can use to promote the value of financial planning—visit our 2025 Financial Stress Index web page.
