Trends and Patterns in Financial and Retirement Planning Research: A Scientometric Perspective

Abstract

Financial planning has emerged as a global concern encompassing not only the management of funds but also encompassing the projection of future income, asset values, and expenditure schedules. This study utilized bibliometric analysis to uncover underlying publication patterns related to financial and retirement plans. It aimed to provide a foundation for a deeper understanding of historical, current, and future trends in these fields. Research articles spanning from 1954 to 2023 and 1976 to 2023 were sourced from the Scopus and Web of Sciences (WOS) databases respectively, totaling 1985 and 1333 articles. The analysis revealed the United States as a leading contributor in publishing research articles on financial and retirement plan, along with the most productive institutions and authors. The USA also emerged as the most active collaborator internationally, engaging with 74 countries. Research hotspots were identified via keyword co-occurrence analysis, highlighting "retirement planning" and "retirement" as prominent areas. This analysis emphasized the critical role of financial and retirement plans and identified several research gaps in their practical application, suggesting potential areas for future research. It also underscores the active involvement of Malaysian universities in the development of this field and reveals critical research gap in its practical application. Future research endeavors should prioritize promoting the utilization of financial and retirement plans. Nonetheless, this bibliometric study holds the potential to serve as a foundational step in supporting future meta-analyses and structured literature reviews.