They should learn basic money concepts. Most of them are living for today, not down the road. The reason this is such a problem today, is that our older generations at least had pension plans. The burden today has shifted to the employee through their 401k plans. You're not too fond of financial publications.
Financial magazines are good for overall content and overall information.
They all do this at least once a year. The danger is that there is no consistency with the funds selected month to month, quarter to quarter. And, the writers don't take in to account each individual reader's age, risk tolerance, or financial situation. The key to the whole thing is not really the specific fund you pick, but the right asset class. Another mistake seniors make is that they need to plan not for the time they retire, but for the time until they're going to die.