Survey: Nearly Half of Pre-Retirees and Retirees are Paying More Attention to Financial News – A Trend with Both Promise and Pitfalls
Majority of Financial Professionals Now See Artificial Intelligence as an Opportunity
Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2025) – Americans approaching or living in retirement are tuning into financial news more closely in 2025 than in previous years. This heightened attention appears to be adding to both their confidence and their concerns.
According to the new 2025 Retiree Insights Program Survey by Greenwald Research, three in four (76%) pre-retirees and retirees ages 50-70 follow financial news at least somewhat closely, including 30% who say they follow it very closely. What’s even more significant is that nearly half (47%) report paying more attention than usual this year.
This attentiveness is a double-edged sword. Of those who closely follow the financial news, 60% say doing so both increases their stress and helps them make more informed decisions.
Those who follow financial news very closely are also more likely to be worriers. They worry more about:
- Losing a major amount of money in the stock market (50% vs. 41% of those who don’t pay much attention to financial news)
- A housing market decline (41% vs. 24%)
- Financial institutions going bankrupt (22% vs. 13%)
Yet despite this higher anxiety level, they’re also more likely to be proactive, especially in terms of taking a more conservative position:
- 41% have adjusted their portfolios to take less risk (vs. just 14%)
- 18% have purchased products to protect against market loss (vs. 8%)
“More consumers are paying attention, and financial professionals need to pay attention to that,” says Doug Kincaid, Greenwald’s Managing Director for Financial Services and author of its 13th annual Retiree Insights Program Survey. “When clients are this tuned in, their emotions move with the markets and the headlines. That’s where good advice matters most.”
Financial Professionals Are Warming to the Idea of AI in Financial Advice
The 2025 Retiree Insights Program Survey also shows growing optimism among financial professionals about artificial intelligence.
More than half (51%) say they are at least somewhat comfortable with AI in financial advice, up from 33% just two years ago, and 72% now view AI as an opportunity for the industry, compared with 64% last year. Only 40% see it as a threat.
Interestingly, 54% of financial professionals say they have tried asking an AI tool, such as ChatGPT, a financial or investing-related question. Four in 10 (40%) have done so and said the AI provided helpful answers. In comparison, only 20% of pre-retirees and retirees have tried asking an AI tool a financial question.
Other key findings in the 2025 Retiree Insights Program Survey include:
- While most consumers express confidence in “guaranteed” income sources, only 61% are at least somewhat confident that Social Security will deliver full benefits, versus 70% who are confident that a guaranteed lifetime income annuity from a major company would make the income payments it promised.
- A majority of retirees (56%) report that they retired earlier than planned. How early is early, though? In fact, nearly six in 10 of these “early retirees” (58%) say they retired five or more years earlier than planned, including 34% who retired six or more years early.
- According to financial professionals, 60% of their clients view retirement more as a time for rest and leisure while 40% see it more as a new chapter for personal growth and engagement. This equation may be changing: 62% say they’ve seen a shift over their career, with more clients prioritizing personal growth and engagement.
For more information about the 2025 Retiree Insights Program Survey, contact Greenwald Research at info@greenwaldresearch.com
About the 2025 Retiree Insights Program Survey
The survey was conducted in June 2025, with 1000 consumers and 301 financial professionals participating. The consumer survey included those who are between the ages of 50-70, have at least $200K in assets, and don’t have a defined benefit pension plan. For more information about the survey and Greenwald’s Retiree Insights Program, visit www.greenwaldresearch.com/retireeinsights or contact info@greenwaldresearch.com.
About Greenwald Research
Greenwald Research is a leading independent custom research firm and consulting partner to the health and wealth industries that applies creative quantitative and qualitative methods to produce knowledge that helps companies stay competitive and navigate industry change. By leveraging deep subject matter expertise and a trusted consultative approach, Greenwald offers comprehensive services for weaving rich research stories that answer strategic business questions. For 30 years, Greenwald has partnered with the Employee Benefits Research Institute to conduct the annual Retirement Confidence Survey.
Contact:
Herb Perone
media@greenwaldresearch.com
