If you're like every financial advisor trying to build a business and make it grow, it's the established, wealthy (or at least affluent) crowd you're marketing to. And that invariably means there will be a lot of Baby Boomers in the mix. Problem is, these boomers don't like the way you talk, according to AARP. More specifically, they think you use too much jargon, and that to mislead is your intent. According to a survey conducted by AARP in January and February of this year, Americans aged 50 years and older want to hear about what you do in plain English. If you are the kind who uses “financialese” with clients, consider what they might think. AARP's survey found that, among Americans 50 years and older:
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63 percent think jargon is used to make a product or service seem more impressive.
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50 percent think jargon is used to distract people from focusing on the fees they will be paying.
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50 percent think jargon is used to make consumers feel less confident about handling their own finances.
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31 percent think jargon is used because the professionals think most people understand it.
So, give it to them straight.