PLANADVISER Say This, Not That! |
1. Jargon and participants: a bad combination?
Some think advisers should translate some of their phrases into plain English, among them Alexandra Taussig, senior vice president for marketing and business strategy at Fidelity Investments, who notes that women have very strong feelings about the language used in talking with financial advisers. They tend to prefer the term “planning” to the word “investing,” she says.
Jeff Snyder, vice president, senior consultant at Cammack Retirement Group, believes that male plan participants also may prefer some terms over others. Plan participants are smart, Snyder says, but they don’t do finance for a living. He thinks advisers should avoid technical language in order to engage the average American. Don’t forget, Snyder warns, “most people are doing eight things at once.” Best to avoid making things sound complex or more mysterious than they really are.
Jeff Snyder, vice president, senior consultant at Cammack Retirement Group, believes that male plan participants also may prefer some terms over others. Plan participants are smart, Snyder says, but they don’t do finance for a living. He thinks advisers should avoid technical language in order to engage the average American. Don’t forget, Snyder warns, “most people are doing eight things at once.” Best to avoid making things sound complex or more mysterious than they really are.