Financial Innovation Frontiers

AARP retained Javelin Strategy & Research in November 2016 to conduct a comprehensive independent study of the financial needs and behaviors of U.S. consumers 50 and older. This whitepaper follows two AARP projects--"Health Innovation Frontiers" and "Caregiving Innovation Frontiers"--and provides a rigorous, data-based approach to understanding the needs and wants of 50-plus consumers, as well as highlighting growth opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, organizations, and businesses targeting 50-plus consumers. The whitepaper was independently produced by Javelin Strategy & Research. Javelin maintains complete independence in its data collection, findings, and analysis.

Javelin conducted an online survey of a representative sample of 2,000 consumers over the age of 49 in January and February 2017. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 2.19 percent.

Additional data analyzed in this report come from a proprietary Javelin consumer survey fielded to 10,639 U.S. consumers in May 2016. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 0.95 percent.

The margin of sampling error is larger for subsegments in either survey sample. Some supplemental data for Javelin’s models were drawn from third parties. Other sources for inputs into the models in this report include: The Center for Financial Services Innovation, Federal Reserve, Moebs Services, BankDirector.com and Creditcards.com.