People have the potential to live longer than before, but “increased longevity is a gift and not an entitlement,” said Catherine Collinson, founding president and CEO of the Transamerica Institute.
“Everyone needs to safeguard their health and strive to secure their financial future,” Collinson added. For everyone to achieve this, she and her colleagues have presented what people need to know in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner on air through their series “ClearPath: Your Roadmap for Life,” which marks its 10th anniversary this year.
In semimonthly podcast episodes with host Alan Waller, Collinson or a colleague at the nonprofit private foundation of Transamerica Life Insurance Co. share insights, resources and tips on subjects for improving people’s wellness — both in terms of finance and health.
Originally titled “ClearPath: Your Roadmap to Health and Wealth,” the series debuted in 2014 as a weekly four-minute segment during National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” program. Topics primarily focused on retirement planning and health insurance coverage.
But “based on feedback from listeners, it was clear to us we had much more to talk about,” Collinson said.
As the topics expanded over the years and the staff sought more flexibility for discussion time, the Transamerica Institute “took the big plunge” and became a podcast in 2021, she said. Episodes have since run usually between 12 and 15 minutes. Additionally, the nonprofit renamed the series in 2023 to “better align with the depth and breadth of the topics covered.”
The podcast series currently covers topics in retirement security, personal finance, employment as well as health and wellness. Episodes from the past year include discussions on understanding SECURE 2.0, embracing aging and spending time outdoors. As the open enrollment period approaches, the series dropped an episode on Oct. 15 about employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
Topics have been inspired by research and survey findings from the nonprofit and its subsidiary, the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Another episode looked at takeaways from the nonprofit’s annual Retirement Outlook of the American Middle Class report.
In the future, Collinson said the Transamerica institute hopes to continue growing and expanding its discussion topics, all “with the common theme of helping people live better, longer, healthier and more financially secure lives during their time in the workforce and in retirement.”
“As the world around us changes, we expect our podcast to grow and evolve. We expect to have even more to discuss in the future, ranging from seismic shifts and megatrends to more subtle steps people can take in their lives,” Collinson noted. “We’re also considering ideas for future innovations — stay tuned.”
Besides visiting the websites of NPR and the Transamerica Institute, listeners can tune into the series through digital podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
