Nearly half of
Americans believe bearded men are more responsible with their
money. This unusual appearance-based finding comes straight from a new
LendingTree personal finance survey, which was conducted by Qualtics – an experienced management company.
More than 2,000 Americans were surveyed between Oct. 15 and Oct. 20, 2021. Forty-eight percent said they think men with beards (and/or mustaches) are better with money when compared to clean-shaven men.
While bearded men technically didn’t beat out their clean-shaven counterparts in the overall survey opinion pool, 75% of bearded said they think they’re better with money. Only 17% of clean-shaven men said the same. Nearly half of Americans (48%) believe bearded men are more responsible with their money, according to a new LendingTree personal finance survey.
Beards as a sign of wisdom and gravitas
"For whatever reason, Americans have long seen beards as a sign of wisdom and gravitas," said Matt Schulz, a chief credit analyst at LendingTree. "Even Uncle Sam has a beard. Not to mention some of the wisest men in literature and pop culture, like Merlin, Gandalf, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, have beards."
Schulz made sure to not dismiss the personal finance skills of clean-shaven men when discussing the survey’s interesting findings.
In his own words, "As a clean-shaven money expert, let me just say that we clean-shaven men know just as much about money as our bearded counterparts."
LendingTree Chief Credit Analyst Matt Schulz said beards have been a ‘sign of wisdom and gravitas’ in the U.S. (Stock). The beard versus no beard money management question varied slightly across demographics, according to LendingTree’s survey.
Forty-seven percent of all men said they believe bearded men handle finances better while 49% of women said they believe the same idea.
Millennials and Gen Z between the ages of 18 and 40 were more trusting of the money decisions made by bearded men. Fifty-nine percent from each demo said they believe men with facial hair are better with money compared to men who shave regularly.
Older generations were less trusting of the money management skills of bearded men. Only 43% of Gen Xers and 34% of Baby Boomers said they believe men with beards are better with money.
Older generations were less trusting of the money management skills of bearded men, according to LendingTree's new survey.
