Peter McGraw helps organizations that are struggling to delight customers and failing to stand out in a cluttered marketplace.
Rethinking Financial Planning for Singles
Nearly half of U.S. adults are unmarried—and many intend to stay that way. Yet traditional financial advice remains stubbornly built for couples, leaving singles underserved and often misunderstood. With one in four Millennials and one in three Zoomers projected never to marry, financial advising must adapt.
In this engaging and actionable keynote, Peter McGraw introduces a new, empowering approach specifically tailored for singles. Drawing insights from his book, The Single Person’s Guide to Financial Freedom, McGraw highlights the pitfalls of standard financial planning for solo adults and delivers clear strategies to master spending, maximize savings, and expand earning potential—entirely on your own terms.
Whether you’re single by choice or circumstance, or advising those who are, you’ll gain practical tools to achieve lasting financial independence. Solo living isn’t a limitation; it’s a chance to shape your financial future with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Selling and Marketing to Singles
In a marketplace where even a small demographic shift sparks strategic focus, many businesses are overlooking an enormous opportunity happening worldwide:
Singles.
Today, half of all U.S. adults—approximately 128 million people—are single, a deliberate and often permanent choice for many. Single-person households have surged from 13% in 1960 to 29% today, making singles the new dominant demographic force in the marketplace.
In this insightful keynote, Peter McGraw reveals why singles are an undervalued market segment and presents strategies to escape competition by uniquely serving them. Drawing from global data and original research, he identifies four distinct categories of singles—Somedays, Just Mays, No Ways, and New Ways—and shares compelling examples of businesses that have thrived by understanding and meeting their diverse needs.
Smart businesses recognize and adapt to demographic shifts. The rise of singles presents an unparalleled opportunity to innovate, engage new customers, and drive growth.
Leveraging the Rise of Singles in the Workplace
How do organizations recruit and retain the best workers in a competitive marketplace? One way is to look at a huge overlooked group of employees who are becoming impossible to ignore.
Singles.
In 1960, American business was booming—and so was matrimony. Seventy-two percent of adults were married, and HR policies were built for families. Today, half of the adult U.S. workforce is unmarried. Look around your workplace and you’ll find recent grads, never-married Millennials, divorced empty nesters, and semi-retired widows. One in four Millennials and one in three Zoomers will never marry, a dramatic shift that legacy practices and policies have yet to reflect.
In this provocative keynote, Peter McGraw outlines how organizations can update three crucial areas—benefits, scheduling, and company culture—to improve workplace morale and better attract and retain single employees without disadvantaging non-single colleagues.
Ignoring this growing segment risks alienating a significant portion of the talent pool. Embracing singles positions your organization as forward-thinking, adaptable, and inclusive in today’s competitive employment landscape.
Going Solo in a World Built for Two
Single living is no longer just common—it’s thriving. Yet outdated stereotypes and misconceptions persist, portraying singles as lonely, incomplete, or selfish.
It’s time to set the record straight.
Join Peter McGraw as he explores the rise of singlehood from the United States to Sweden to South Korea. Through extensive research, powerful stories, and surprising insights, McGraw debunks myths about singles, revealing that many solo adults are deeply engaged, community-focused, economically influential, and creatively vibrant.
This keynote highlights the profound positive impact singles make on society and shares three valuable lessons everyone—single or partnered—can learn from the solo lifestyle.
In a world still pressuring people to marry and settle down, it’s crucial to recognize singlehood as a legitimate, fulfilling, and purposeful life choice.
Talks at select organizations
Peter McGraw is a sought-after professional speaker.
Dr. Peter McGraw is a behavioral economist and business school professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He hosts the podcast Solo – The Single Person’s Guide to a Remarkable Life, he writes for Single Insights – The Science of Solos, hosts The Solo Salon, and the author of Solo – Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own. As a marketing and psychology professor at the Leeds School of Business, he teaches courses in behavioral economics, marketing management, and consumer behavior. He speaks at Fortune 500 companies, public events, and universities around the world.
Talks at select universities
Talks at select universities
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