A new study from T. Rowe Price provides a look at how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted families’ financial well-being, compelling more parents than ever to have conversations regarding money matters with their children. Further, the study shows how the pandemic has exacerbated existing racial inequalities, including the racial retirement savings gap.

T. Rowe Price’s 13th annual Parents, Kids & Money Survey, which sampled more than 2,000 parents and their 8- to 14-year-olds, reveals insights into the pandemic’s impact on different families. The findings suggest that parents feel increased urgency on the need to have money conversations with kids.

In evidence that the pandemic has furthered racial inequalities, Black, Hispanic, and Asian parents were more likely than their white counterparts to report that the pandemic had a negative impact on their financial well-being. Black and Hispanic parents found themselves almost twice as likely to reduce retirement savings versus increasing it and more than twice as likely to reduce college savings.

“It’s unfortunate and concerning, albeit not that surprising, to learn from the study that the pandemic has impacted many families’ financial well-being. That it has compounded the drivers of the racial wealth gap is incredibly disappointing and an indication that there is much work to be done to address this over the long term,” says Jerome Clark, strategic program manager in T. Rowe Price’s Multi-Asset Division and father of two.

“The one silver lining is that parents are having more conversations with kids about money. Kids often pick up on unspoken cues, and stressful situations can be turned into powerful teaching tools. Our research shows that kids who have had frequent money conversations with their parents are better positioned for financial responsibility in adulthood. T. Rowe Price’s Money Confident Kids® program is particularly well suited to support such conversations given its emphasis on helping kids understand long-term investment concepts and that wealth-building is a long-term endeavor,” Mr. Clark says.

T. Rowe Price’s annual Parents, Kids & Money Survey has consistently shown that there is an opportunity for all parents to have more money conversations with their kids. To help parents discuss money with their kids, the firm created MoneyConfidentKids.com, which provides free online educational games, classroom lessons for educators, and tips for parents that are focused on financial concepts, such as goal-setting, spending versus saving, inflation, asset allocation, and investment diversification.