New white paper challenges advisors to rethink solo aging planning
The planning picture is more complex than a checklist
The survey found that solo aging concerns rarely appear in isolation. Respondents selected an average of nearly five of the 11 planning areas presented, and 95.9% identified at least two concerns, according to the survey.
Health, housing, finances, transportation, social connection, decision-making, and emergency preparation frequently co-occurred within the same individual’s planning profile; a pattern that challenges the idea that solo aging can be addressed through a single document, conversation, or referral.
Only 28.2% of respondents described themselves as somewhat or very confident in their solo aging plan. The remaining 71.8% were neutral, unsure, overwhelmed, or had no plan at all. That confidence gap has direct relevance for advisors: a client who has completed an estate document or long-term care plan may not feel (or be) prepared if the human and logistical support needed to execute that plan is not in place.
“People can prepare thoughtfully and still encounter systems, services, and professional practices that assume someone else will be available to help,” said Gerhardt. “We need to ask not only whether people are prepared, but whether the environments they must navigate are prepared to function when reliable support cannot be assumed.”
An ‘architecture,’ not just a network
One of the paper’s central contributions is a distinction between a support network and what the paper calls an Architecture of Support; an intentional structure of trusted people, skilled professionals, clearly understood roles, practical services, communication pathways, and backup options that can be reliably activated when needed.
