Understandings of Retirement Concepts among Pre-Service Teachers

The purpose of this study was to interpret the retirement understandings and planning dispositions among the population of preservice teachers at a Midwestern institution of higher learning. Teacher education majors were surveyed about their knowledge of retirement topics and their attitudes towards retirement funding. There were approximately 4400 prospects, of which 303 responded and 211 completed all survey items. Respondents indicated that they had very little knowledge about retirement concepts. They trusted employer-sponsored advice more than information from other sources and feared that limited resources would prevent them from saving for retirement. The authors recommend further research that employs broader samples and focused methods to provide a fuller interpretation of related issues.