73% of Newcomer Parents Surveyed Say Their Children Teach Them About Digital Money Habits, TD Survey Finds

6 November 2025

Newcomer parents surveyed and their children discuss and learn about money from each other at higher rates than the national average.

A new TD survey reveals that almost all newcomer parents (99%) plan to discuss digital money habits with their children, with more than half (55%) starting by the time they turn 13 years old. Newcomer parents point to the growing pressures of a digital landscape as a major driver for early money conversations, with 66% noting concerns about how social media, viral trends, and influencer culture shape their children’s attitudes toward spending.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of newcomer parents say their children have taught them something new about money or digital spending habits — significantly higher than the national average (57%) reported in the survey.

“I believe newcomer families are creating a two-way learning environment where parents and children teach each other, combining lived experience with digital-native knowledge,” said Kristy Irwin, Product Group Owner, Youth and Student at TD.

Taking Financial Literacy More Seriously

As digital spending brings convenience to everyday transactions, 37% of newcomer parents worry about how easily children can make purchases through digital wallets, urging them to focus on financial literacy. More than three in four (76%) say their family takes financial literacy more seriously than they did five years ago — stronger than the national average (70%).

While the focus continues to grow, 82% of newcomer parents worry about their children’s financial futures given the current economic outlook, especially in areas such as:

Purchasing their own home (57%)
Financial stability to raise a family (52%)
Investing wisely (45%)
Saving for retirement (47%)

Despite these concerns, newcomer parents show higher confidence and stronger motivation than the national average. More than half (53%) feel “quite” or “extremely” confident in their child’s financial knowledge, compared to 43% nationally.

And while nearly one in three find teaching financial literacy stressful (29%) or overwhelming (29%), the majority feel motivated (61%) and inspired (44%) to teach their children about money.

“What I find inspiring is that newcomer families aren’t backing away from these challenges,” said Irwin. “Instead, they’re leaning in confidently, seeing it as a key step to securing a better future for their children.”

Learning from Real-World Experience

Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) newcomer parents discuss their own financial successes and challenges with their children, so they can learn through lived experience — higher than the national average (82%).

They feel it’s most important for their children to learn about:

Budgeting (69%)
Saving & financial planning (69%)
Fraud & scams (68%)

Notably, investing plays a larger role for newcomer parents, who place greater importance (59% vs. 49%) on the topic and feel more knowledgeable about it (33% vs. 26%) than the national average.

According to the TD survey, open communication and hands-on tasks are key ways newcomer families explore financial literacy together. Common methods include:

Talking about investing (45%)
Tasking children with money-related chores like grocery shopping (43%)
Creating a budget together (41%)

Additional Resources for Newcomer Parents and Youth

TD offers and supports several tools, resources, and organizations to help newcomer families build financial literacy, including:

New to Canada Learning Center, a go-to library for newcomers covering key topics.
Online resources and lessons that help build financial literacy at home for kids as young as three.
Booking an appointment with a TD Personal Banker – a good idea if you’re a parent starting your child’s savings journey or helping a teen take the next step.
Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD proudly supports JA Canada’s Dollars with Sense program, which provides financial literacy education to youth across Canada.

About the TD Survey

The survey was conducted online through Harris Poll Canada. It included a nationally representative sample of 1,232 randomly selected Canadian parents of children under 18, plus an augment of newcomers to Canada (for a total of 517 newcomer parents who immigrated in the past 10 years).

This survey ran between September 15 to September 23, 2025, and national results have been weighted by age, gender, and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population according to Census data — ensuring the sample represents the entire adult population of Canada.