TikTok's Aging Filter Could Help Spur Retirement Planning
Seeing a realistic-looking older version of themselves could serve as the nudge many people need to start saving in earnest for the future.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Have you tried out the aging filter on TikTok? This fun and seemingly frivolous feature allows users to preview a highly realistic visual representation of their future aged selves. It has also unexpectedly sparked a crucial conversation about an often-overlooked topic — retirement planning.
The filter uses artificial intelligence to simulate the aging process, adding wrinkles, gray hair and other signs of aging to a user's face. The result is a compelling visual of how the user might look decades from now. While the primary purpose of the filter is to entertain, a realistic vision of oneself as an older person does encourage users to consider the future more seriously. A topic that often seems too distant to discuss — retirement — is suddenly now more tangible as a result of this viral trend.
In a society where long-term financial planning is often delayed or ignored entirely, many people find it challenging to prioritize it, often succumbing to short-term thinking and spending biases. However, a visual reminder of their future selves could serve as a powerful nudge toward prioritizing their long-term financial health. This behavioral change could be particularly impactful when it comes to retirement planning, often one of the most significant financial challenges people face.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Incentivizing future planning
While visualizing the future can often lead individuals to focus more on the present, effectively using this visualization as an emotional connection to future expenses could incentivize saving. This approach aligns with research indicating that emotional connections to future expenditures can help promote saving habits.
However, visualizing one's older self is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly prepare for the future, individuals must also take practical steps today. This includes maintaining good physical health, exercising financial flexibility and monitoring spending habits. Each of these steps can further reinforce the incentive to save, ensuring individuals are well prepared for their financial future.
Starting with the end in mind
The aging filter can also serve as a practical application of Stephen R. Covey's principle of “beginning with the end in mind.” By visually confronting their future selves, users may be motivated to set clear financial goals today. These goals will then shape their financial decisions and strategies, enabling them to build a secure future.
This principle is particularly relevant when it comes to retirement planning. Starting with the end in mind means considering the lifestyle one wants in retirement and then working backward to determine what needs to be done today to achieve that lifestyle.
The three stages of financial life
The viral aging filter serves as a timely reminder of the three stages of your financial life: wealth accumulation, preservation and distribution. By prompting early planning and consistent saving during the accumulation stage, users may be better equipped to preserve and distribute their wealth effectively in the future.
In this context, the aging filter is more than a viral trend. It is a tool that can help users visualize their future needs and understand the importance of each stage of their financial life. This understanding can help them make more informed financial decisions and plan more effectively for retirement.
Planning for the future, while seemingly daunting, becomes achievable with the right mindset and tools. By encouraging users to visualize their future selves, TikTok's viral aging filter holds the potential to serve as a novel tool for promoting long-term financial planning.
Users can ensure a secure and comfortable future by understanding their biases, visualizing the future and adhering to a well-structured financial plan. In this way, a simple social media trend could have far-reaching implications, transforming how users approach their financial planning and ultimately promoting healthier financial habits.
Related Content
- Five Common Retirement Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Four Things Gen Xers Can Do Now to Reach Retirement Goals
- Four Tips to Help You Conquer the Retirement Mountain
- Financial Planning in Retirement: Seeing All the Angles
- Think of Retirement as the Goal, Not the Vision
-
The New Reality for EntertainmentThe Kiplinger Letter The entertainment industry is shifting as movie and TV companies face fierce competition, fight for attention and cope with artificial intelligence.
-
Stocks Sink With Alphabet, Bitcoin: Stock Market TodayA dismal round of jobs data did little to lift sentiment on Thursday.
-
Betting on Super Bowl 2026? New IRS Tax Changes Could Cost YouTaxable Income When Super Bowl LX hype fades, some fans may be surprised to learn that sports betting tax rules have shifted.
-
The 4 Estate Planning Documents Every High-Net-Worth Family Needs (Not Just a Will)The key to successful estate planning for HNW families isn't just drafting these four documents, but ensuring they're current and immediately accessible.
-
Love and Legacy: What Couples Rarely Talk About (But Should)Couples who talk openly about finances, including estate planning, are more likely to head into retirement joyfully. How can you get the conversation going?
-
How to Get the Fair Value for Your Shares When You Are in the Minority Vote on a Sale of Substantially All Corporate AssetsWhen a sale of substantially all corporate assets is approved by majority vote, shareholders on the losing side of the vote should understand their rights.
-
How to Add a Pet Trust to Your Estate Plan: Don't Leave Your Best Friend to ChanceAdding a pet trust to your estate plan can ensure your pets are properly looked after when you're no longer able to care for them. This is how to go about it.
-
Want to Avoid Leaving Chaos in Your Wake? Don't Leave Behind an Outdated Estate PlanAn outdated or incomplete estate plan could cause confusion for those handling your affairs at a difficult time. This guide highlights what to update and when.
-
I'm a Financial Adviser: This Is Why I Became an Advocate for Fee-Only Financial AdviceCan financial advisers who earn commissions on product sales give clients the best advice? For one professional, changing track was the clear choice.
-
I Met With 100-Plus Advisers to Develop This Road Map for Adopting AIFor financial advisers eager to embrace AI but unsure where to start, this road map will help you integrate the right tools and safeguards into your work.
-
The Referral Revolution: How to Grow Your Business With TrustYou can attract ideal clients by focusing on value and leveraging your current relationships to create a referral-based practice.
