2025 IG Wealth Management Financial Confidence Index: Canadians Show Resilience with Personal Finances Amid Global Uncertainty

• Year-end Index rises to 52, exceeding historical average for the first time since 2021
• Canadians' financial literacy climbs while trust in the economy remains low amid recession fears
• Cross-border anxiety grips Canada as U.S. political and economic issues dominate concern
• Majority say human financial advice is more vital than ever in the age of AI

WINNIPEG, MB, Nov. 5, 2025 /CNW/ - According to the eighth annual edition of the IG Wealth Management Financial Confidence Index, ("the Index"), Canadians are showing a surprising degree of optimism and self-reliance when it comes to their personal finances despite widespread concerns about the global economy, political instability and affordability.

The Index, commissioned by IG Wealth Management ("IG") and conducted in partnership with Ipsos Canada, tracks and reports on Canadians' overall financial confidence based on 10 survey questions relating to IG's Four Pillars of Financial Confidence ("the Pillars"): Current Personal Financial Situation, Personal Financial Outlook, Planning and Literacy, and Trust in the Economy.

This year's Index score (52) rose above the historical average (51) for the first time since 2021, revealing a paradox: Canadians acknowledge worsening economic and political conditions but remain confident in their personal financial situations.

"We're clearly worried about what's happening around us, but we're also differentiating between macro trends and concerns and our individual financial situation," said Damon Murchison, President & CEO, IG Wealth Management. "Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic built resilience and perspective and we're now seeing a shift – people are taking greater control of their daily finances and long-term planning."

Personal Financial Confidence Rises Despite Grim Economic Outlook

The Index underscores a compelling contrast between personal financial confidence and broader economic pessimism. Canadians' Trust in the Economy (39) was the weakest Pillar by far, trailing the three others by 13 points or more. Factors contributing to this low score include distrust in the government's ability to manage economic challenges (43 per cent for provincial government and 38 per cent for federal government) and rising fears of a recession (60 per cent).

Despite this macroeconomic uncertainty, Canadians' individual confidence and discipline are climbing. Women (50), Indigenous peoples (51), and residents of Quebec (53) – historically lower-scoring groups – all posted measurable Index gains this year, up three points, nine points and four points respectively.   

"Canadians are facing an increasingly unpredictable world, but their growing resilience and confidence in their own personal financial control is a bright spot. The results tell us they are not waiting for economic recovery – they are creating it for themselves," noted Mr. Murchison.

U.S. Instability Fuels Canadian Economic Unease

Further, the Index revealed that three-quarters of Canadians say they expect the U.S. political situation to deteriorate in 2026 and two-thirds (68 per cent) anticipate the American economy will worsen, propelling cross-border economic anxiety. Fears around U.S. tariffs are also high (21 per cent), particularly among older Canadians (31 per cent) compared to those under the age of 55 (8 per cent for 18-34 and 16 per cent for 35-54).

These findings underscore a growing sense of vulnerability among Canadians, as escalating U.S. political and economic instability fuels fears of spillover effects and raises questions about the potential impact on Canada's own economic outlook.

Human Advice Gains Value in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

The study also examined Canadians' views on artificial intelligence (AI) given its ascendence in the last few years. Over half of Canadians (55 per cent) say human financial advice is more important than ever in the age of AI; however, just 46 per cent reported that they currently work with a financial professional.  Further, one-third believe traditional advice is not keeping up with today's market realities, signaling an opportunity for innovation and modernization in financial services.

"In a time of economic uncertainty and rapid technological transformation, the need for personalized, human financial advice has never been greater," said Mr. Murchison. "We have a responsibility to evolve with the changing landscape. Our industry has a powerful opportunity to lead through this transformation, delivering best-in-class advice that combines the advantages of AI and other technologies with human insights and perspective. It's what Canadians expect of us and we need to be up to the challenge."  

About IG Wealth Management
Founded in 1926, IG Wealth Management ("IG") is a Canadian leader in delivering financial planning with approximately $155 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2025.  For more than 95 years, IG has been focused on improving the financial well-being of Canadians so they can confidently embrace all of life's possibilities. Through a network of advisors located across the country, IG provides approximately one million clients with personalized advice, comprehensive financial planning, insurance and mortgage services and professionally managed investment solutions. IG is a member of IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM), part of the Power Corporation group of companies and one of Canada's leading diversified wealth and asset management organizations with approximately $302 billion in total assets under management and advisement as of September 30, 2025. For more information, visit ig.ca. 

About the IG Financial Confidence Index
The 2025 results presented in this summary report are from an Ipsos survey conducted online from August 18^th to September 2^nd, 2025. A total sample of 2,000 respondents from across Canada participated in the survey. Weighting was applied to the total sample by age, gender, region and education level to ensure that the composition of the final sample is representative of Canada's adult population according to the latest census data from Statistics Canada.  This survey has a credibility interval of +/- 2.5 per cent 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had all Canadian adults 18+ been surveyed.

SOURCE IG Wealth Management

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