The Brexit Selloff Has a Small Silver Lining—But Only for Young People

Brexit is happening, and it's happening against the will of Britain's young people. According to the poll below, which was retweeted over 25,000 times, Brits under 50 overwhelming wanted to stay. The poll also shows that the voters who got their way won't have to deal with the consequences for nearly as long.

For the young, there is a small silver lining in all of this: Britain's vote to leave the European Union tanked the global markets on Friday. U.S. stocks fell 3.4% while European shares lost more than twice as much.

How can this be a good thing?

For young workers looking to save for retirement, short-term market pullbacks that take place early on in their careers can be an opportunity.

Since millennials aren't likely to have considerable sums already saved up and invested, losses like Friday's aren't nearly as bad as they are for older workers — like the older Brits whose "leave" vote sparked the global selloff in the first place.

Additionally, a greater percentage of younger worker's savings will be deposited after the Brexit downturn, and will be positioned for growth when the market eventually recovers.

These troughs and peaks are all part of the game if you're in for the long haul, and for young people many decades from retirement, that's a long haul indeed.

Of course, this is extremely cold comfort, because not everyone is lucky enough to be able to save for retirement. And it's especially frustrating for young Brits, who are clearly angered by Brexit, as it cuts off opportunities for them on the continent in the name of economic nationalism, which they did not want.

Read more: 5 Reasons Americans Should Care About Brexit