"And if any of you have pensions from your work, all that money is invested into stock markets around the world."
Listening to some people claim that could not possibly be the case, because it is "illegal for banks to invest our money without telling us" was eye-opening.
It's not blind ignorance - it's education, or a lack of it. And how we 'educate' is as important as the message. As Canadian social philosopher Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message.
Royal London's right in issuing a warning about basic knowledge.
But we must not assume that simply throwing facts at people (of any age) is going to be useful.
A lot of it is about how we communicate. Think about the way in which "industry folk" speak. We say: "Let's talk about pensions" and immediately it sounds like it is going to be a snooze-fest.
Or we say: "Let's explain why having a pension is a good thing" or "This is how pensions work" to start conversations.
Regardless of age, whether you are 18 or 80, the majority of people just aren't going to get breathless over that.
But put it to them in other words - how about 'Here's how to get £450,000 when you hit 57'? Or 'What you can do today to have a great life when you're older'.
See if you can talk to people about pensions without using the word 'pension' - at least, not til the very end.
'Money when I'm older' just seems to be a better attention-grabber than 'A pension when I retire'. More personal. More relatable.
The message is the same: the importance of saving now, tax-efficiently, regularly and mindfully so that you don't end up having to live like Croydon's famous Paper Jack when you're 60.
As Pension Awareness Week continues, let's think more carefully about the medium.
Simoney Kyriakou is editor of FTAdviser
