AARP Sponsors Regular NBC 'Today Show' Series on Retirement

America has yet to witness the tremendous societal transformation retiring Boomers will have, as the oldest is a mere 64 and the youngest, 46. But we are beginning to see signs of the tsunami-sized impact this 77 million-strong army will have on the workplace, the economy, healthcare and even the arts and entertainment.

AARP has just formed a timely, unbelievably beneficial partnership with NBC’s “Today Show.” Beginning March 9, the popular morning news program that reaches 5.9 million viewers a day, is bringing back former Emmy Award-winning host Jane Pauley to produce and report a monthly segment called, “Your Life Calling.” Aimed at people age 50+, it will focus not on withdrawing into and making do in retirement, but how mature adults across the country are reinventing the way they work and thriving in the way they live.

AARP is also inviting people to share their own reinvention stories in 250 words or less via e-mail to yourlifecalling@aarp.org.

As an organization that assists and lobbies for older Americans, AARP is a natural choice as a partner for such a television program. More importantly, it can’t hurt visibility for AARP Financial, either.

Two years ago, when MassMutual sponsored a PBS documentary on preparing for retirement, “Retirement Revolution,” along with a companion website equipped with online financial tools, we applauded the film for being a provoking and innovative way for an asset management firm to reach investors.

We encourage other investment firms to get in on the ground floor of other entertainment and educational sponsorship opportunities. As we have long advocated, investors want assistance far beyond the hard realities and fear of not having enough money for retirement, and those asset managers that not only have excellent products and services but that can speak to a person’s well-roundedness and well-being in retirement will resonate the most.

For now, AARP and MassMutual have beaten the rest of the industry out of the gate. Take a page from their positive playbook.

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Money Management Executive
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