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AARP Financial’s MoneySmarts™ Initiative

Making financial decisions can be tough— and complicated financial terms and jargon can make those decisions even tougher.

That is why in June 2008 AARP Financial launched MoneySmarts^™— an advocacy campaign focused on taking the mystery and confusion out of investing. To better understand how financial jargon impacts people’s ability to save and invest, AARP Financial commissioned Tiller to conduct a nationwide survey of 1,203 adults to better under their knowledge of financial terms and concepts— and the impact of jargon on their investment decision-making.

What we learned is that many Americans are confused and overwhelmed by the language commonly used by the financial industry— confusion which often leads to costly mistakes or missed opportunities. Most respondents (52%) reported making an investment where they owed unexpected taxes or paid a withdrawal penalty because they felt confused about or did not understand an investment. And nearly one-third said they failed or waited longer than they should have to invest because the information provided was confusing.

The research findings were covered by major news outlets across the country including NBC’s The Today Show, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Newsday as well as US News and World Report’s website, CNNMoney.com, Yahoo!News.com and MSNBC.com. It was also cited by Employee Benefit Research Institute President and CEO Dallas Salisbury in his June 2008 testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security.

Together with AARP Financial, we created www.moneysmarts.com to help investors better understand common financial terms and concepts. The website includes the “Jargonator”— a fun, basic financial glossary— a jargon IQ quiz and an interactive financial word game.

By helping Americans become better informed and empowered investors, the MoneySmarts campaign helped position AARP Financial as an investor advocate and trusted source of investment information and advice.

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