1. They might be an only child, as the birth rate in the U.S. has been dropping. | They will find it strange that people once had to choose to sign up for a 401(k) plan.

Thanks to the rise in auto-enrollment, when these 18 year-olds find jobs that offer employee benefits, they won't even have to think about whether to start a 401(k) plan.

"Born in 2001, they have lived in a world in which shedding shoes at airport security... is routine..."

"They" are this year's incoming college class of 2023.

We've paired the Marist College Mindset List with insights from Nevin Adams and the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries to juxtapose how things have changed in the world in the last 20-odd years and in retirement. Then we tossed in a few observations of our own.

The result? 14 ways the world and retirement preparation have changed. Read on to see the slides or see more in the article below.

14. DJs become "turntablists." | Whoever heard of pensions?

The live bands and combos who played at boomers' weddings are a thing of the past, while the DJs who played at weddings at the turn of the century (that's 21st century, thank you) have morphed into "turntablists."

And pensions have largely been phased out in favor of 401(k) plans—which, although they were designed only as a supplemental form of savings, have taken the spotlight as companies have sought to offload the risk of pension plans.

13. Coke and Pepsi become "sports hydration" providers. | Paying for health care in retirement is a huge worry.

Better known to boomers (in their youth) as something to linger over at the soda fountain, Coke and Pepsi now square off against one another on the sports field in the cutthroat world of hydration.

And the Medicare that once relieved elders' worries about how they'd afford health care in retirement has taken a back seat to cost-cutting measures that have seen prices for both care and coverage escalate astronomically.

12. YouTube videos have become the go-to DIY educator. | Employers provide financial and retirement education via online apps.

Employees can't be bothered assembling for those group education-and-signup sessions that used to characterize open enrollment periods. And most of the time they don't have to, since plan providers are putting it all online, 24/7.

11. Cellphones have become hand-held computers. | People can manage nearly all their finances on said phones.

Cordless phones brought portability beyond the rotary telephone's umbilical connection to the phone jack. It was a big deal until cell phones came along, became pocket-sized, then became smartphones, aka hand-held computers.

But just because people can now manage their retirement accounts via smartphone doesn't mean they do it. Such chores as rebalancing, changing asset allocations, increasing contributions or even just checking balances continue to be too arduous for most to manage even if they can do it while working out at the gym.

10. Alexa and Siri have replaced typing search terms into Google. | Cryptocurrency can be used to buy things or services.

You probably have spoken to Siri or Alexa, but have you dealt with cryptocurrency yet? Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, released in 2009. There are now over 1,000 versions of cryptocurrency.

9. Facial recognition technology is ubiquitous. | Biometric identification, such as retina scans, for financial transactions isn't science fiction any more.

Cameras that pick people out of the crowd may still not be a substitute for reams of documents that prove who we are, but as financial transactions are increasingly threatened by ID theft, such measures as retinal scans are on their way in, not out.

8. Comic books have become graphic novels. | People can figure out for themselves how much to save for retirement via online retirement calculators.

And as graphic novels become movie sagas (think the 22-movie cycle in the Marvel Shared Universe), nobody has to rely on pen and paper or even a pocket calculator to project how much they should be saving for retirement.

7. The doctor makes house calls – via video chat. | Robo-advisors help with retirement planning.

While robo-advisors were seen for a while as a threat to the retirement advising industry, most now view them as a tool that can supplement a human advisor, not supplant one.

6. Phones have become high quality cameras. | The great American dream of buying a house is no longer a given.

Who needs a camera any more—even a digital camera—if you have a smartphone?

And who needs to take on a mortgage when there's so much student debt to be paid?

5. Financial aid used to mean scholarships—now it means loan packages. | And many will be finally paying off those loans just as they approach retirement.

The cost of education has become prohibitive, but the job market has changed so that lacking a college degree practically ensures a low-income stint at a fast-food restaurant or other dead-end job.

Debt, which (except for a mortgage in their grandparents' or even great-grandparents' day) was a disgrace, has become a way of life.

4. Few businesses accept checks; more are going with Apple Pay. | The job market has flipped to favor workers.

To see a young person or anyone for that matter writing a check in a store is like seeing a dodo (yes, the extinct bird).

Workers have complained for years that companies often fail to respond at all to resumes for job openings. But now the tables have turned, and young people will simply ghost an employer, even after accepting a job, if a new offer presents more pay, perks or benefits.

3. The climate crisis will change diets, insurance, investments and where people choose to live.

It's a good thing that an increasing number of companies offer flexible work locations, because storms, wildfires and other natural disasters will play into GenZers' choices of where to live.

In addition, their health insurance may start mandating a change in diet to more plant-based foods, and their homeowner's coverage may compel them to look for a job in a different location.

2. Social Security is no longer seen as a sure thing. | 65 is not the drop-dead deadline for retirement anymore.

Increasing political strife over the Social Security system has already led many GenZers to abandon the thought of having any Social Security benefit around by the time they retire.

They will likely plan on longer careers because of it, and are already postponing life priorities to be able to save more and pay down debt.

1. They might be an only child, as the birth rate in the U.S. has been dropping. | They will find it strange that people once had to choose to sign up for a 401(k) plan.

Thanks to the rise in auto-enrollment, when these 18 year-olds find jobs that offer employee benefits, they won't even have to think about whether to start a 401(k) plan.