Flying solo

Single people have different retirement planning priorities

By Dave Carpenter

ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:00 a.m. October 18, 2009

Single people get left out of the picture a lot when it comes to retirement.

Typically it's smiling couples who are shown contemplating their sunset years in ads, brochures and magazines.

The big picture is about to change, however. A wave of single baby boomers is poised to alter the face of retirement, bringing a new set of planning priorities into focus.

Single people are now 96 million strong and make up 43 percent of the adult population, up from 28 percent four decades ago.

Nearly half are older than 40, including 13 million who have never married.

Those figures have swelled as people divorce more often, live longer or simply choose not to marry.

That means single people are commanding more attention from financial planners and companies looking to cater to their needs.

“It's still mostly couples who seek retirement planning, but more singles are starting to come forward,â€