Moms areapparently the ones talking to the kids about “everything fromhaving good credit to starting to save early in life forretirement,” the study says. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Most Americans investing for retirement say they wish someonehad talked with them about saving and investing when they were teens oryoung adults—and mothers seem to be carrying out those wishes morethan fathers, according to a survey from Capital Group.

According to the survey, people most wished their younger selveshad gotten advice about saving for retirement and 401(k)tips; advice on debt, credit cards and living within your means;and general knowledge about the stock market and how investingworks.

In particular, 45 percent of women wish they'd been taught moreabout retirement savings and 401(k) tips—that'sconsiderably higher than the 33 percent of men who regret the lackof such advice.

And moms are apparently determined their kids won't be havingthose regrets—or at least not all of them, since they're the onestalking to the kids about “everything from having good credit tostarting to save early in life for retirement.” They're in a“statistical dead heat” with dads, though, when it comes todiscussions of investing or buying a car.

But dads are the ones who are more likely to say that they'rethe primary investment decisionmakers in the household, at 79percent compared with moms' 51 percent.

If they were raised in a financially unstable household, adultsare more likely to talk about a broad range of financial topics, but in particular theyaddress making a budget (66 percent, compared with 54 percent whogrew up in a financially stable home) and paying off loans (57percent compared with 43 percent, respectively).

Approximately a third of parents wish they'd talked to the kidsearlier, with 39 percent of millennial parents saying they'd starttelling children at age 12 or younger to save early.

That's nearly twice the level of baby boomer parents, at 22percent. Surprisingly, 28 percent of boomer parents say they'restill teaching their kids about finances—and at that stage of life,such lessons may be harder to learn.

And still, says the survey, there's a gap in saving andinvesting education. Americans rank parents, schools and financialadvisors as the top three resources for teaching children and youngadults about financial matters, relegating employers lower on the list despite the factthat that's where lots of young adults get their first exposure tosaving and investing via a 401(k) plan.

Of course, it would be preferable that they be exposed tofinancial education before they're old enough to hit the workplace,so perhaps that's why.