5 convenient trends in retirement education
Retirement education has changed over the years. How is it looking today? Let’s take a peek at five of the most convenient trends in modern retirement courses and retirement planning education.
Away from sales meetings and towards objective education
The nation’s level of interest in financial education is overwhelmingly high right now. A recent poll of 1,030 American adults from NEFE showed that 88% of U.S. adults believe financial education should be required in public school (including 93% of the age 45+ cohort). Many of these adults did not have the opportunity to learn basic wealth building, financial management, or retirement planning skills in their own school years.
They’re catching up through retirement education courses. High-pressure sales presentations and dinner events meant to hawk financial products are old-fashioned attractions of yesteryear. These days, Americans are much more interested in an objective educational setting, free of sales tactics and rich with unbiased, expert guidance from a practicing financial professional.
Retirement courses are the perfect setting to get the answers you need with no expectation or pressure that you need to retain a financial advisor.
Online courses are taking off
The internet is now deeply ingrained in all of our lives, including members of the Gen X and Baby Boomer generations. Gen X individuals spend even more time on digital devices than Millenials — 21 hours on smartphones, 9 on PCs, and 4 on tablets.
“Silver surfers,” meanwhile, believe their internet use is increasing as they near or progress through retirement. An iProspect study showed that 63% of over-70s spend 11-30 hours a week online, which is actually higher than every other age group from 30-69.
Since 2020, the nation has also embraced internet-based video communication in a big way. This is clearly demonstrated in the newfound popularity of virtual retirement education options. Online seminars with the Financial Educators Network in 2020-2021 are attracting 20% more attendees than pre-COVID in-person courses in 2019-2020! The convenience of instant, real-time access to retirement planning education from the comfort of your own home cannot be understated.
Do-it-yourself, take-home resources
Speaking of generations that are moving toward or entering retirement, this cohort has a strong DIY sensibility. Thinkwithgoogle found that Gen Xers, for example, have a deep “sense of independence and willingness to self-start.”
Retirement education is the perfect kind of self-help resource for learning to make smart decisions about your own financial life. The best retirement education courses provide helpful take-home tools and workbooks for future reference and can even help you create your own retirement planning guidebook during the course.
Blend of local and mobile engagement
In-person courses aren’t going anywhere, as plenty of folks still prefer retirement education in local classroom settings where they can experience face-to-face guidance. However, digital and mobile conveniences are making this easier than ever.
You might be able to search for local courses through a digital course locator that allows you to filter by location. Friends and like-minded individuals often share links to courses these days through local groups on social media. Once you’ve found the perfect course, it’s often easy to register online through a mobile-optimized event page.
More personalized subject matter
Generic, surface-level retirement courses are a thing of the past. Today’s course instructors and retirement education platforms increasingly value content depth and specialization over a generalist approach. This is convenient for course attendees, who can self-select courses focused on the precise subject matter that’s most important to their personal situations and needs. You might find courses on peak career wealth creation, managing your retirement income, estate planning, and more.
Looking for objective retirement education options in a format that suits your interests? Find the right course for you with The Financial Educators Network.
