Today’s content concept from Diana Schneidman of DianaWrites:

THE RATE OF U.S. HOME OWNERSHIP IS AT ITS LOWEST POINT IN 10 YEARS, WITH ONLY 62% OF RESPONDENTS CURRENTLY OWNING THEIR HOME, DOWN FROM 68% IN 2011.

Source: Gallup poll, conducted April 9-12, 2012

Representative findings:

• Home ownership peaked at 73% in 2006 and 2007.
• Only 53% of respondents believe their house is worth more today than when it was purchased, down from 92% in 2006.
• Seventy percent report that it is now a good time to buy a house because of lower home prices and low mortgage interest rates.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends
• How is your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• Case studies or representative stories about individuals’ decisions to buy or keep their homes.
• How are your employees managing their home-purchase decisions?

Background info on this study:

A national telephone survey of 1,016 U.S. adults, conducted April 9-12, 2012.

More information: LINK

Today’s content concept from Diana Schneidman of DianaWrites:

HALF OF AMERICANS EXPECT THEIR FINANCIAL CONDITION TO IMPROVE IN THE NEXT YEAR, WITH BLACK AND HISPANIC RESPONDENTS ESPECIALLY OPTIMISTIC

Source: Survey conducted for Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards

Representative findings:

• 51% of Americans overall look for their financial situation to improve in the next year, with 79% of blacks and 76% of Hispanics sharing this expectation and only 43% of whites.
• Two-thirds believe they have sole responsibility for their financial well-being, but at the same time, similar percentages want Social Security and Medicare to continue.
• More self-identified liberals are optimistic (62%) versus 44% of self-identified conservatives.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends.
• Does your company’s or industry’s experience reflect these findings?
• How is your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• Case studies or representative stories about how clients experience these trends and what actions they are motivated to take.
• How are your employees managing these expectations in their own lives?

Background info on this study:

KRC Research conducted a telephone survey of 1,015 adults ages 18 and over, March 1-4, 2012.

Survey report: http://www.cfp.net/downloads/Shifting_Econ_Survey_Results.pdf

Copyright 2012, Diana Schneidman.

COMPLAINTS TO FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION ARE SURGING DUE TO CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, CONSUMERS’ GREATER ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, AND THE AGING OF BABY BOOMERS.

Source:  Center for Retirement Research, February 2012. http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/IB_12-5.pdf

Representative findings:

• The Federal Trade Commission reports that the incidence of financial fraud is on the rise. The public is unaware that there are many cases of fraud beyond the major, well-publicized scams such as the Madoff Ponzi scheme.
• Research proves that our ability to make good financial decisions decreases with age. The aging of baby boomers is expected to contribute to the growing occurrence of financial fraud.
• The report includes a list of red flags for fraud that is easy to understand and consumer focused.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends
• Is your company or industry impacted by financial fraud?
• How is your company or industry combating financial fraud?
• Case studies or representative stories about how consumers in general or mature adults specifically have experienced financial fraud
• What can be done to prevent financial fraud?

Background info on this study:

Brief by Kimberly Blanton, writer and blogger for the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Brief: http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/IB_12-5.pdf

Link to full report: http://fsp.bc.edu/the-rise-of-financial-fraud-scams-never-change-but-disguises-do/

Copyright 2012, Diana Schneidman.

Today’s content concept from Diana Schneidman of DianaWrites:

Americans’ confidence in their financial outlook for retirement is increasing slightly as the country experiences some economic recovery, but workers who are older, in poor health or have only a defined contribution plan are more likely to be dissatisfied.

Source: Towers Watson Retirement Attitudes Survey

Representative findings:

• Workers with DB plans are 2.5 times more likely to feel confident about their financial resources during 25 years of retirement.
• Many workers are attempting to prepare for retirement by paying off debt, reducing their spending and saving more money.
• Four out of 10 workers do not consider health care costs in predicting their retirement income needs.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends.
• Suggest how employees can better prepare financially for retirement.
• How your company or industry is positioning itself to benefit from reported trends.
• Case studies or representative stories about how clients or employees have planned for and implemented successful retirements.
• Does your company have data to support or refute the survey’s findings?

Background info on this study:

A national survey of 9,218 full-time U.S. employees at nongovernmental organizations with at least 1,000 employees. The survey was conducted in June/July 2011 and reported in January 2012. This survey is part of an ongoing series.

Survey report:  Towers Watson

Copyright 2012, Diana Schneidman.

Source: “Personal Lines P-C Insurance Markets: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities for 2012 & Beyond.” Insurance Information Institute, December 1, 2011. Robert P. Hartwig, Ph.D., CPCU, President & Economist.

Representative findings:

• Personal / commercial lines split has been about 50/50 in premium for many years. However, personal lines overtook commercial lines in 2010.
• Private passenger auto premiums written have been basically flat in recent years due to the weak economy impacting new vehicle sales, car choice and increased price sensitivity among consumers, though growth is returning to the market.
• Homeowners insurance net written premium continues to rise despite very little unit growth in recent years. Reasons include rate increases, especially in coastal zones, ITV endorsements and inelastic demand.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends
• Does your company’s or industry’s experience differ from these broad trends? Or more likely, does it reflect these same trends?
• How is your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• Experience varies by state. What are the implications of variations among states on your company’s book of business?

Background info on this study:

Data from the Insurance Information Institute, December 2011. Series of 157 pages with graphical presentations of data

Survey report:  Slides

Copyright 2012, Diana Schneidman.

BY STUDYING ITS 721 MILLION ACTIVE USERS (MORE THAN 10% OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION), FACEBOOK DATA TEAM FINDS THAT THE MEDIAN FRIEND COUNT IS 100.

Source:  Anatomy of Facebook, by Facebook Data Team, November 21, 2011

Representative findings:

• Average friend count is 190.
• Degree of separation between any two Facebook users is smaller than the common 6-degree figure. The average distance is 4.74 and declining.
• A user’s friends are most likely to be a similar age and from the same country.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends
• How is your company using Facebook (or other social media) to benefit from these trends?
• How can your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• Are you using Facebook? Other social media? How are you using each of these resources?
• How are your employees preparing for retirement?

Background info on this study:

Facebook examined all 721 million users with 69 billion friendships. Findings were released in November 2011.

Survey report:

The Anatomy of Facebook

(If link no longer works, use Source data to find it online)

Copyright 2011, Diana Schneidman.

Source: MetLife Study of Women, Retirement, and the Extra-Long Life: Implications for Planning, produced by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, in conjunction with the Scripps Gerontology Center of Miami University, 2011

Representative findings:

• Seven out of 10 mature women are concerned about affording health care and long-term care costs in retirement
• 54% of women are concerned about outliving their retirement resources
• Women are less likely than men to calculate retirement income and expenses
• The “Three Cs”—Communication + Compatibility = Confidence—is a formula for how married couples can improve their active retirement planning
• Note: The findings are not surprising to professionals in fields related to retirement planning. However, this report does an excellent job of combining original research findings with demographic and other data.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends
• Does your company’s or industry’s experience differ from these broad trends? Or more likely, does it reflect these same trends?
• How is your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• Case studies or representative stories about how mature adults have planned for and implemented successful retirements.
• How are your employees preparing for retirement?

Background info on this study:

A national survey of 1,007 retired and employed men and women ages 50 to 70, supplemented with in-depth structured interviews of 50 individuals and couples.

Survey report: http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/mmi-women-retirement-extra-long-life.pdf

Link to video: http://www.metlife.com/mmi/research/women-retirement-extra-long-life.html#findings

Representative findings:

• Smartphone ownership in 2011 more than doubled over 2010 to 31%
• Over half of Americans are on Facebook
• Daily usage of TV, radio and the internet averages 8 hours and 11 minutes
• Television is the medium with the widest reach—98% of those surveyed use / own a TV

Media studied include smartphones, Facebook, iPad, local AM / FM radio, online radio, Pandora, TV, YouTube and more.

Article angles:

• Summarize and report the trends.
• Does your company’s or industry’s experience differ from these broad trends?
• How is your company or industry positioning itself to benefit from reported trends?
• What is your experience in getting up to speed with a new medium? How have you learned to use it more easily and effectively?
• Which media are most conducive to developing relationships with your key audiences and why?

Background info on this study:

A total of 2,020 persons were interviewed to investigate Americans’ use of digital platforms and new media between January 4 and February 2, 2011 in a study for Arbitron Inc. and Edison Research. The study was released April 5, 2011. The study is the 19th in a series beginning in 1998.

Summary: http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/2011/04/
the_infinite_dial_2011.php

Presentation slides: http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/infinite_dial_2011_presentation.pdf