How Australians are changing the way they seek financial guidance

The CFS Rethinking Retirement 2026 report shows a clear generational difference in how Australians seek financial information and guidance.

Younger Australians are more likely to turn to podcasts, YouTube, social media and other online sources. Older Australians are more likely to rely on financial advisers or accountants.

Among Australians under 50, nearly half use online sources, compared with around one-third who use advisers or accountants. By ages 50-59, licensed financial advisers become more popular than online sources. Among Australians over 60, advisers and accountants are the preferred sources of support.

The report does not dismiss digital information. It recognises that online content, communities and platforms can be useful sources of information and education.

The distinction is that information is not the same as regulated advice tailored to an individual’s circumstances.

This distinction becomes increasingly important as retirement decisions become more consequential. A general explanation of income streams, Centrelink or tax may help a person understand a concept. It cannot determine whether a particular strategy is appropriate for that person.

The data also suggests many Australians arrive at retirement conversations with some level of prior information. The adviser role is therefore not simply to provide facts, but to help clients interpret what is relevant, identify what is missing and connect decisions into a coherent strategy.

That matters because the report also identifies complexity as a barrier to engagement. When 36% of those not recently engaging with super say it feels too complicated, more information alone may not solve the problem.

The value sits in interpretation, sequencing and advice judgment.

This has implications for retirement education and product engagement. Content can prime the conversation, but solutions need to work inside the advice process.

CFS Retirement Advantage™ is positioned around that idea: a broader retirement ecosystem designed to sit across accumulation, transition, income, longevity and legacy. Retirement Income Optimiser and Pension Bonus can be introduced within that broader conversation where relevant to client circumstances.

The report suggests the path to advice may increasingly start with information. But retirement confidence is more likely to come from turning that information into a personal plan.