Why can’t Gen Y budget? And how is comparison culture fuelling bad credit? Canvas8 spoke with Melissa Browne, author of Unf*ck Your Finances, to discuss Australian Gen X and Y’s spending trends, their unhealthy relationship with money and how they can take control of their finances.

Research reveals Australian Gen Yers have a rather pessimistic outlook on life. The niggling anxieties around finances, employment, and climate change in the future are causing them to shy away from commitment and more towards immediate and accessible gratification.

With over one in four living paycheque to paycheque, Gen Yers Down Under are struggling to manage their money. Hoping to offer this generation a more seamless way to spend, Afterpay is an online and offline payment provider that lets Aussies buy now, and pay in four fortnightly instalments.

An uber-relaxed attitude, slack lending regulation and low financial literacy have caused Australians to become ‘addicted to debt’. So how and exactly why do Australians fall deep into debt? And how does this affect not only their mental health, but their relationships with banks?