Generation X: Clients Poised for Financial Planning Breakthroughs
Generation X: Clients Poised for Financial Planning Breakthroughs
Generation X occupies a unique — and often overlooked — position in the retirement planning conversation. As this generation entered the workforce, employers were actively phasing out traditional pensions in favor of 401(k) plans, effectively shifting the responsibility of building guaranteed lifetime income onto individuals for the first time. Decades later, many Gen X clients are still navigating the consequences of that shift, often without realizing that a familiar tool, life insurance, may be part of the solution.
A Generation Facing a Unique Income Gap
Unlike the generations before them, Gen X largely missed out on employer-guaranteed retirement income. Instead, they've had to rely on self-directed savings vehicles to fund retirement, often without a built-in safety net for outliving their assets. This gap has made guaranteed income a growing priority: according to Corebridge Financial's 2025 Understanding Life Insurance Needs Survey, 89% of Generation X respondents said securing income they can't outlive is a top priority.
Despite this, many Gen X clients haven't made the connection that certain life insurance policies can serve a dual purpose, providing protection today while also functioning as a source of guaranteed income later in life. For agents, this represents a meaningful opportunity to reframe a familiar product in a way that speaks directly to a need this generation already recognizes.
Reframing Life Insurance as a Living Benefit
For many clients, life insurance is still viewed primarily as a death benefit, something that provides for loved ones after they're gone. Helping Gen X clients understand life insurance as a living benefit can open the door to a more complete financial planning conversation. Certain policies can be structured to help:
Close the income gap left by the shift away from employer-sponsored pensions
Provide an additional source of guaranteed income clients can draw on later in life
Offer protection during working years while also building long-term financial flexibility
This dual-purpose framing can be especially effective during Life Insurance Awareness Month, when clients may already be more receptive to conversations about coverage and long-term financial security.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
Gen X clients are, in many cases, entering the stage of their financial lives where retirement planning shifts from theoretical to urgent. With pensions largely unavailable to this generation and Social Security alone rarely sufficient to maintain a desired lifestyle, the responsibility for building guaranteed income falls squarely on the individual. Agents who can clearly explain how certain life insurance strategies help address this gap are well positioned to build trust and long-term relationships with this client segment.
This conversation also creates a natural opening to discuss broader financial planning goals, from income longevity to legacy planning, positioning you as a resource for a wider range of a client's needs rather than a single transaction.
Resources to Help You Have This Conversation
To support these conversations, Corebridge Financial has developed a Generation X-focused toolkit, including an Action Planner and additional client-facing resources designed to help you introduce these concepts clearly and effectively.
What This Means for Our Partner Agencies
Generation X clients are actively thinking about guaranteed income, even if they haven't yet connected the dots on how life insurance can help provide it. This Life Insurance Awareness Month is a timely opportunity to bring this conversation to your Gen X clients and help them see their coverage as more than just a safety net for their families.
Ready to Learn More?
For help incorporating these strategies into your client conversations or navigating the Gen X toolkit, reach out to The Brokerage Inc.'s Life Team. We're here to help.
