Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Happy Holidays from The Boomer Blog Digest! We'll be back January 2, 2007.

2006: The Year Mass Media Got a Clue
Bryan Eisenberg
Clickz.com
December 22, 2006

Overview: Bryan Eisenberg reflects on marketing and advertising strategies of 2006 and shares his predictions for 2007. He also shares opinions of Roy H. Williams from Wizard Academy Press, who wrote “The Age of the Baby Boomer ended in 2003. The torch has been handed to a new generation with new ideas and values. Sure, we Boomers still hold the power at the top, but the prevailing worldview that drives our nation is completely other than the one we grew up with. Businesses that don't get in step with the new world order are going to find it increasingly difficult to succeed.”

http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3624250

Notion that 60 is new 30 is often at odds with perceptions of aging
Amy Reinink
The Gainesville Sun
December 22, 2006

Overview: Reinink reflects on the new Rocky movie and relates it to real life boomers. She reports “The movie raises questions about whether baby boomers have succeeded in making 60 the new 30, and whether a person can ever be too old to get back in the ring — or at least whether they can do so without being laughed out of the ring.”

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/LOCAL/612220330/-1/news

Consulting: Perfect job for baby boomers?
Selena Dehne
CNN.com
December 22, 2006

Overview: Dehene reports on consulting careers for boomers and writes “Boomers are so in-demand that many employers are actually creating consulting opportunities within their companies, specifically to entice baby boomers to stick around the work force.”

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/Careers/12/21/cb.babyboomers/

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Among Your Qualifications, an M.B.A. at Household U.
Kelley Holland
The New York Times
December 31, 2006

Overview: Holland reports on what stay-at-home parents can offer employers and how raising children provides parents with management skills ideal for those looking to get back into the work force. Holland writes, “In a survey published in 2002 of 61 women with diverse responsibilities, the women cited improved interpersonal and leadership skills, increased comfort with taking risks and a greater ability to multitask, among other skills."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/business/yourmoney/31mgmt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

It's a woman's world
Mindie Paget
Journal-World
January 2, 2007

Overview: Paget announces the start up of Boomergirl.com, created by Cathy Hamilton of The World Company, a Web site designed for baby boomer women. “Hamilton and her team of online developers from The World Company took a sophisticated approach, using an earthy color palette, simple navigation and images of real boomer-aged women.”

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jan/02/its_womans_world/

Developers catering to Boomers seeking housing with modern amenities
Andy Reid and Robin Benedick
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
January 2, 2007

Overview: Reid and Benedick report on the latest trends in boomer retirement housing and write “Despite the overall cooling of the real estate market, the demand from retiring boomers should mean construction will continue for homes intended for the 55-plus crowd, said Jack McCabe, a Deerfield Beach real estate analyst.”

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pretiredjan02,0,2857579.story

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Baby Boomers Uniquely Positioned to Embrace Emerging Entertainment New Media, TV Land's Joy of Tech Study Finds
PRNewswire
January 2, 2007

Overview: Press release announcing research findings from TV Land's Joy of Tech Study, which found that “TV entertainment is the key driver for Boomers adopting new media technologies.” Moreover, “TV Land's Joy of Tech study revealed that when looking to new entertainment technologies, Boomers consider the "4 C's" or four key factors: control, choice, clarity and community.”

http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20070102/NYTU10602012007-1.html

Coming of age - with a vengeance
Western Daily Press
January 2, 2007

Overview: Article focuses on the baby boomer generation including trends and future predictions for the generation as a whole. The article also shares personal reflections such as, “we're at least getting out to eat, going for walks and weekends away and taking a more active part in shaping our lifestyles than our predecessors.”

http://www.westpress.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145809&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145792&contentPK=16308010&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

Baby Boomers Count Down to Retirement
U.S. Treasury's Go Direct Campaign Launches Pledge Drive to Spur Direct Deposit for Social Security Benefit Payments
PRNewswire
January 3, 2007

Overview: Press release announcing the U.S. Treasury’s Go Direct Campaign to “encourage baby boomers preparing to head into retirement to choose direct deposit once they start collecting Social Security benefits.” The release also shares survey results from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Banks including, “one in four boomers still gets paid with old-fashioned paper checks, a trend that's particularly entrenched with those closest to retirement age (51-60 years old).”

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-03-2007/0004498712&EDATE=

New Year’s Day 2007 and the top news stories of 2006 are old news now, lost in the auld lang syne haze of balloons, bourbon and confetti. There’s one 2006 story that tops my list for 2006 because its moral takeaway remains constant. It’s the story about the man who showed up.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

A Nintendo for Grandma
Leron Kornreich
Time
January 3, 2007

Overview: Kornreich reports on how video game companies are targeting baby boomers and, specifically, the game “Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day”. Kornreich writes, “The over-50 set is a largely untapped and potentially lucrative market, and toy and gaming companies are starting to court the boomer generation with products claiming to help sharpen memory and cognitive ability.”

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1573749,00.html

Retirees facing marriage dilemma
Daily Yomiuri
January 4, 2007

Overview: Experts suggest that married baby boomers are having trouble agreeing on retirement decisions, and predict they with struggle with other long-term marriage challenges.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070104TDY02009.htm

*Articles Worth Noting

Aging Boomers likely to change housing market
Bob Tedeschi
San Francisco Chronicle
December 31, 2006

Overview: This New York Times article focuses on how boomers will impact the housing market. Tedeschi reports, “Late last month, the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington released a report conducted with the Brookings Institution showing that aging Baby Boomers, generally defined as those born in 1946 through 1964, will probably cause stagnation in many housing markets, particularly in the suburbs.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/31/REGIPN9G4C1.DTL

Boomers affect gardening market
Rebecca Finneran
The Grand Rapids Press
December 31, 2006

Overview: Finneran reports on gardening trends and writes, “Baby boomers are the largest segment of people affecting the climate of the market. Vuyst says a recent study shows for this group of people to maintain their current lifestyle, they will delay retirement, affecting the garden market for years to come.”

http://www.mlive.com/homeimprovement/stories/index.ssf?/base/features-0/1167550224139010.xml&coll=6

Unconventional Wisdom | Baby boomers still kidding themselves
Alfred Lubrano
Philadelphia Inquirer
December 30, 2006

Overview: Lubrano shares his opinion on the boomer generation as a whole and believes that “denial is the baby-boomer legacy.”

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/magazine/daily/16348497.htm

Baby Boomers Will Drive Real Estate Growth
Real Estate Advisor
December, 2006

Overview: This article concentrates on the impact boomers will have on the real estate industry and the latest trends in terms of boomers and retirement preferences. Additionally, the article includes study findings from the National Association of Realtors that show “when baby boomers were asked about what features are most important to them, 38% wanted a lower cost of living, 38% wanted to be near family, 38% wanted easy access to quality health care, 37% wanted a better climate, and 36% wanted to be near a body of water.”

http://www.content-articles.com/article.aspx?i=51638

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Boomer-gals thumb their noses at aging
Susan Felt
Gannett News Service (Palitem.com)
January 5, 2007

Overview: Female boomers are coming together and forming their own societies such as the “Blue Thong Society” and “Red Hat Society.” These groups “provide women with social support and a sense of community. They also directly challenge cultural stereotypes about how middle-age and older women look, act and feel.”

http://www.palitem.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070105/NEWS16/70103019/1005

A year when age wasn't a liability
Johanna Schneller
The Globe and Mail
January 5, 2007

Overview: Schneller focuses on baby boomers in the film industry and states, “Baby boomers haven't given up blue jeans, black stilettos or Red Bull, and they've demonstrated they don't want to give up movies. But they turn out in numbers only for films that celebrate them -- their power and knowledge, their vitality and sexuality. They want to keep being the star, the hero, the centre of attention. So what if their knees crack when they stand up?”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070105.SCHNELLER05/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Movies/

Fall down, go boomer; Staying active is great, but many people over 40 need to adjust -- and quit hurting themselves
Cynthia Hubert
Sacramento Bee
January 5, 2007

Overview: Hubert suggests that active boomers who are working to stay healthier and live longer may be overdoing it and can lead to injuries. Hubert gives boomers tips on how to safely exercise writes, “What's a boomer to do? Keep moving but do it carefully”.

http://www.sacbee.com/107/story/102562.html

Baby Boomers Want Shoes That Are Sexy And Comfortable
Linda Young
All Headline News
January 4, 2007
Overview: Young reports that shoe retailers and manufactures are aiming to appeal to the baby boomer women. Young writes, “As Baby Boomers turn 60 some women are still willing to hand over $100 for a sexy shoe, but they want comfort along with style now. No orthopedic shoes, such as their grandmothers, wore for Boomers who still value style.”

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006038677

Okay class. Please open your Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” issue to pages 38, 39 and 41. This is Time’s photo montage of the composite “YOU” who shared the most-anticipated cover story honor of the year. Now, tell me what’s wrong with this picture? It appears to be politically correct enough with a variety of ethnicities, cultural influences and genders represented. There are boomer guys singing the blues, a peppy cheerleader from the Cougars, even a soldier in jungle camouflage.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Aging is being redefined
Jeannie Kever
Houston Chronicle
January 8, 2007

Overview: Baby boomers are redefining aging. Kever reports, “Aging isn't what it used to be, what with healthy diets, yoga, fancy face creams and the purchasing power of baby boomers.”

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/living/health/16384724.htm

Keeping them on the payroll; Faced with the impending retirement of the baby boomers, employers are taking steps to keep older employees happy and working for as long as possible
David P. Willis
Asbury Park Press
January 8, 2007

Overview: As baby boomers begin to retire, employers are worried that it could be difficult to replace them. As a result, employers are trying to improve productivity and morale and offer additional benefits in order to keep their employees working longer.

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/BUSINESS/701080303/1003/NEWS01

Boomers and Online Dating
John Agno
Coachingtip.blogs.com
January 7, 2007

Overview: Blogger John Agno discusses boomers and online dating. He writes, “The Internet has special appeal for Baby Boomers, an impatient lot used to getting their way. According to Jupiter Research, 15 percent of Internet users between the ages of 45 and 54 browsed dating sites last year—almost as much as the average online user.”

http://coachingtip.blogs.com/so_baby_boomer/

It's baby boomers who are real drag; U.S. is getting wrong picture of who abusers are in our drug crisis
Mike Males
Houston Chronicle
January 6, 2007

Overview: Males reports on the varying demographics contributing to drug abuse. Specifically he reports, “graying baby boomers have become America's fastest-growing crime scourge.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4451026.html

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Behind the times
Emily Reed
Missourian News
January 9, 2007

Overview: Watch companies like Timex plan to begin targeting baby boomers, who are continuing to buy watches even though consumers in other age brackets no longer have an interest in wearing such a device. Reed writes, “For baby boomers, it’s usually a combination of style and function that prompts purchase. Steven Walker, 32, predicts they will be around for a while.”

http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=23667

Naomi Judd: Don't dread growing older; In her new book for fellow baby boomers, the country singer debunks some common myths about aging. Read an excerpt
MSNBC.com
January 8, 2007

Overview: MSNBC.com posts an excerpt from Naomi Judd’s new book entitled Naomi's Guide to Aging Gratefully: Facts, Myths, and Good News for Boomers. In her new book, Judd shares her views on getting older and argues against the stereotypes associated with aging.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16525237/

Detroit Auto Show: Rediscovering the baby boomer driver; Chrysler, Nissan among those targeting the over 50 crowd
Bush Bernard
The Tennessean
January 8, 2007

Overview: Bernard reports on what automakers, like Chrysler and Nissan, are doing to market to boomers and writes, “Yesterday Nissan brought out its Bevel utility vehicle concept and today, Chrysler brought out its Nassau four-door luxury sports coupe concept car. Both are targeting baby boomers, but in different ways.”

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/NEWS03/70108038

A year ago January, it was big news when the first baby boomers turned 60. The trailing edge of the 18-year-generational spread simultaneously turned 42—and so we have it emblazoned on the national consciousness that the boomer generation encompasses all those between the ages of 42 and 60. That would be 78 million men and women in the U.S., all those born between the years of 1946 and 1964.

But nah uh. Just as we’re getting used to the idea that the oldest boomers turned 60, it’s time to get out your erasers and white-out. The demographic is still 78 million strong, but the age span is now 43 to 61.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

CNN.com Launches Life After Work
Mike Shields
MediaWeek
January 8, 2007

Overview: Paula Zahn’s segment, “Life After Work,” will now be showcased on CNN.com. Sponsored by Ameriprise, the online features will include “video clips from the show, expanded coverage of the subjects profiled, photo galleries and various interactive elements. The site will also house several tools, such as a financial-planning calculator as well as an outlet for user-generated video content, which CNN has the option to use on the air. Clips from the show will also be available via CNN’s video-on-demand platforms on various cable providers.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528489

Baby boomers are big business for advisers
Samantha Downes
CityWire.co.uk
January 10, 2007

Overview: Downes compares baby boomers from the UK, US and Japan and reports that “baby boomers are a big business that is set to grow.”

http://www.citywire.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?VersionID=88001&MenuKey=News.Home

Japan's Baby Boomers Retire; What To Do With The Free Time?
Lucy Craft
CBSNews.com
January 10, 2007

Overview: Japanese baby boomers are wondering what to do with all the free time associated with retirement. Moreover, Craft reports “the baby boomers were the generation that helped transform Japan from an impoverished and spiritually rudderless backwater, into a rich, manufacturing powerhouse, home of the super-fast Bullet Train.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/10/asia_letter/main2344521.shtml

Baby Boomer Buzz: You Can Profit While Helping
Mpherson
Associatedcontent.com
January 10, 2006

Overview: This blog focuses on the various industries that baby boomers will greatly impact including technology, fashion, religion, real estate, medical, financial and the work place. Mpherson suggests that, “overall, providing specialized services and advice to aging Baby Boomers is going to be a growth industry.”

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/99539/baby_boomer_buzz_you_can_profit_while.html

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Entitled Selfishness; The baby-boomer generation is in a state of denial about the true cost of their retirement benefits. Why their blindness on the issue could put the country's future at risk.
Robert J. Samuelson
MSNBC.com via Newsweek
January 10, 2007

Overview: Samuelson writes, “On one of the great issues of our time, the social and economic costs of our retirement, we have adopted a policy of selfish silence.” Samuelson goes on to discuss the need for fiscal planning and responsibility to deal with the growing number of 65-and-older population, that is expected to double in size by 2030.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16562633/site/newsweek/

The Digital Generation Gap: How Brands Can Capitalize on the Growing Senior Online Set
Misha Cornes
Adotas.com
January 10, 2007

Overview: The article discusses that seniors are the fastest-growing segment of the population using the internet. According to Cornes, Seniors “lag in a number of basic e-commerce indicators, including online researching, purchasing online, and in the average amount of each online transaction. But this will change as more and more Seniors come online, and smart marketers can’t afford to ignore this market any longer.”

http://www.adotas.com/2007/01/the-digital-generation-gap-how-brands-can-capitalize-on-the-growing-senior-online-set/

Cars for America’s Aging Baby Boomers
Easier Motoring
January 11, 2007

Overview: The piece features the newest concept cars on the market: those cars catered to boomers.

http://www.easier.com/view/News/Motoring/article-92662.html

Boomers start to downsize; Some baby boomers are pulling up stakes in their 50s, while they are still working, and moving into smaller quarters
Marilyn Gardner
The Christian Science Monitor
January 11, 2007

Overview: Gardner writes, “Unlike many in their parents' generation, who often waited until their later years to move to smaller quarters, some baby boomers are pulling up stakes in their 50s, while they are still working. They are moving to condos, ‘active adult’ communities, or city apartments.”

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0111/p13s01-lihc.html

Rocky Balboa fans: Run up those steps and wave your hands wildly. We’re 60, we’re proud and we’re still fighting heavyweight boxing champs for the title. But that’s not the fantasy, part. (Okay, it is—but there’s something even bigger that happens in the newest installment of the Rocky franchise.)

Spoiler alert! Don’t read on if you don’t want the most under-reported but most vicarious moment of the film—for empty nesters, in any case—revealed to you.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Vacation.com predicts baby boomer travel boom
Internet Travel News
January 12, 2007

Overview: This article shares predictions for how baby boomers will impact the travel industry. The article suggests, “With more free time on their hands and the desire to participate in such activities that may have been previously unattainable, the travel industry will see a remarkable growth in the leisure segment over the next 18 years as more and more Boomers have the freedom and time to spend money more freely.”

http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/2007011118115382

Blame Congress & baby boomers for ballooning US retirement spending
Robert J. Samuelson
Economic Times
January 12, 2007

Overview: Samuelson believes that baby boomers are partially to blame for US retirement spending and writes, “baby boomers seem eager to ‘reinvent retirement’ in all ways except those that might threaten their pocketbooks.”

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/International__Business/Blame_Congress__baby_boomers_for_ballooning_US_retirement_spending/articleshow/msid-1143799,curpg-1.cms

No denying reality; time will force big changes on baby-boomer lifestyle
Emmet Pierce
Bend Weekly News
January 12, 2007

Overview: Pierce concludes that baby boomers are not prepared for where they will live beyond middle age. "They don't have any money. They have an average of $40,000 in a 401(k), if they have one at all. The boomers are not prepared for old age and society is not well prepared for the boomers.”

http://www.bendweekly.com/Living/1885.html

There’s just enough of the sixties left in me to have a big response to one of the gutsiest marketing campaigns ever to hit the cafe table. I’m speaking about the sugar substitute Equal’s protest rally in a dish. Have you seen them? Hard to miss. Each blue packet looks like a mini protest sign. “Do Your Drink Justice” says the one in purple print. “Trust Your Tastebuds” is in green. And “Fight Bland With Blue” is in orange. While sipping iced tea in Napa, I was overwhelmed with the desire to glue them to a toothpick and parade them around the table.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Rethinking retirement: More Boomers choosing to work
Taylor Gandossy
CNN.com
January 15, 2007

Overview: Baby boomers are delaying retirement and continuing their careers. “Nearly six in 10 baby boomers who intend to work after retirement say they want a job that gives them a greater sense of purpose, according to a 2005 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey.”

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/09/law.overview/

Wanted: Baby boomers
M.Z. Hemingway
Federal Times
January 15, 2007

Overview: Hemingway reports, “Administration officials and public service advocacy groups say the solution to hundreds of thousands of baby boomers retiring from the federal government in coming years is more baby boomers — hiring people such as Vande Vanter who have the skills, energy and desire for rewarding second careers.”

http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2483622

Homes with gardens grow on Boomers
Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post
January 15, 2007

Overview: This article focuses on gardening, retirement and lifestyle trends among baby boomers and how developers should use these trends to market to boomers.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2007/01/15/m1bz_boomergardens_0115.html

Boomers trace their own pattern; Spending, career paths and retirement outlook can take some surprising turns
Deborah Alexander
Democrat and Chronicle
January 14, 2007

Overview: Alexander reports boomer retirement and spending trends and writes, “baby boomers are living cyclical lives. They also graduated from college. Or took a few years off from school. They might marry and divorce several times, start several families, switch careers and return to school.”

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070114/BUSINESS/701140344/1001

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Lure of Entrepreneurship Beckons Boomers; Instead of retiring, boomers are starting second-act businesses; some are motivated by an independent lifestyle, others by economic necessity
Jeffrey Gangemi
BusinessWeek Online
January 17, 2007

Overview: Gangemi reports, “Baby boomers are looking at starting real businesses --looking for another 10- to 12- to 15-year career.” The rise in boomer entrepreneurship can be contributed to boomers’ need for financial stability, their strong business experiences and background, existing household wealth, pension cuts and more.

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070116_499758.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories

Web Search Engine Bucks Status Quo By Seeking Results for Baby Boomers
Kevin J. Delaney
The Wall Street Journal
January 17, 2007

Overview: Internet services are continuing to target baby boomers with sites like
Cranky.com. Moreover, Parenting Magazine founder Robin Wolaner, is teaming up with a former executive from Time. Inc. and CNET Networks Inc. to launch a new service for boomers sometime this year. Additionally, Delany reports that in “some cases, such services are finding that boomers would just as soon use general-purpose Internet tools.”

*Note: This article requires subscription to access

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116900324193978494.html?mod=technology_featured_stories_hs

Businesses address generation gap; That’s “Mr.” To You: From Boomers to Millennials, generation gaps can lead to confusion in offices
Andra Coberly
Fort Collins Weekly
January 17, 2007

Overview: Coberly discusses the differences between generations and the conflicts that may arise in the workplace as a result. “Baby Boomers are very loyal to their company, but Gen-Xers often like to be more like free agents and leave if something better comes along.”

http://www.fortcollinsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=440&Itemid=35

Disclaimer: I haven’t bought Nora Ephron’s book about women and aging: I Feel Bad About My Neck. But I’ve read it, the way I read all books that I think I need to know about, but don’t want to contribute to raising up on the bestseller lists: standing up at the bookstore high volume sales table.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Net radio station targets baby boomers
The Age
January 18, 2007

Overview: Radioboomer.com.au, a new baby-boomer oriented online radio station, is set to launch on Friday and will “offer shows on wealth creation, retirement planning and new enterprise for mature age businesses.”

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Net-radio-station-targets-baby-boomers/2007/01/18/1168709875555.html

Danger zone: Aging Baby Boomers are discovering the benefits of senior-proofing. It's tough getting old, Gale Beeby discovers.
Gale Beeby
The Star
January 18, 2007

Overview: Beeby reports that baby boomers are starting to “senior proof” their homes. “It's a trend many retailers have taken notice of and are now offering gadgets and gizmos that help make homes safer and easier to navigate on arthritic knees and other aging ailments.”

http://www.thestar.com/Athome/article/171672

Thanks for my vacation future; Let them own it, I can rent it while we rent
Ian Karleff
Financial Post
January 13, 2007

Overview: According to Karleff, “Baby Boomers are building their retirement paradises on every available stretch of waterfront, and at the moment, with all the dust and debris, paradise looks pretty ugly.” Karleff goes on to write, “As hard as I try to find fault in this Boomer building frenzy, I find myself loving what this massive group is constructing: my vacation future.”

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/archives/story.html?id=149005fa-7ca4-4aa4-8dc2-ada0c6c94588

*Special to the Digest

Reframing and Signaling: Communicating Tough Choices to Aging Parents
David Solie
Gbod.org

Overview: Solie writes about communicating touch choices to aging parents and presents three communication strategies to help ensure survival of those touch choices. Solie suggests that the children of aging parents should, “use their developmental agenda to reframe their choices, reinforce the reframing with stories and look for "legacy moments" amid the upheaval.”

http://www.gbod.org/coa/articles.asp?act=reader&item_id=19198

Boomers invisible? Marginalized? Forgeddaboutit. You know all those busy people who said they’d get around to writing their big book “someday”? Well, someday came. The amazing thing is that some of these authors even have “real” publishers (as opposed to “independently published”) who are betting on the market for boomer self-help. This is particularly noteworthy, since self-help is not much of a happening thing for other generations right now. Since whether a book has a publisher or not says less about the quality of the book and more about the marketing, I won’t tell you which is which—just know that here are five “on topic” for your consideration:

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Haliburton Resort Seizes New Market by Catering to Baby Boomers Vacation Preferences
Emediawire
January 19, 2007

Overview: This article focuses upon Canadian resort owners’ desire to capture the baby boomer market by creating customized vacation packages for them, which enable them to take part in a variety of exciting activities.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/1/emw498171.htm

Bernanke: Baby boomers threaten economy
Reuters
CNN Money
January 18, 2007

Overview: This piece discusses Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s recent warnings to the U.S. Congress that failure to act soon to deal with the budgetary strains posed by an aging U.S. population could lead to serious economic harm. "We are experiencing what seems likely to be the calm before the storm," Bernanke told the Senate Budget Committee.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/18/news/economy/bernanke.reut/?postversion=2007011815

Boomers' Biggest Health Mistakes
Allison Van Dusen
Forbes
January 19, 2007

Overview: Van Dusen discusses the fact that some baby boomers are not taking the right steps to lead healthy lives, noting that even when boomers' behavior and choices lead to “serious problems,” their health may still not come first. Many boomers tend to be “overly optimistic about everything from finances to their health,” says Carol Orsborn, co-author of Boom: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer-the Baby-Boomer Woman.

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/2007/01/18/boomer-health-mistakes-forbeslife-cx_avd_0119boomermistakes.html

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Boomers' Biggest Health Mistakes
Allison Van Dusen
Forbes.com
January 19, 2007

Overview: This article focuses on common mistakes that baby boomers are making concerning their health care. Van Dusen reports, “When it comes to making decisions about their health, boomers sometimes think that if they delay doing something, a better solution might come along. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who hop on the Internet to learn everything about their symptoms and possible treatments, thinking they can out-research their doctors or find the latest alternative cure. Either way they end up putting off taking action.”

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/2007/01/18/boomer-health-mistakes-forbeslife-cx_avd_0119boomermistakes.html

Shushing the Baby Boomers
John Broder
The New York Times
January 21, 1007

Overview: Broder reports that Senator Barack Obama believes baby boomers need to get over themselves. Broder shares, “Mr. Obama calculates that Americans of all ages are sick of the feuding boomers and ready to turn to the generation that came of age after Vietnam, after the campus culture wars between freaks and straights, and after young people had given up on what überboomer Hillary Rodham Clinton (who made her own announcement on the Web yesterday) called in a 1969 commencement address a search for a more immediate, ecstatic and penetrating mode of living.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/weekinreview/21broder.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Goldman Sachs and Nicholas Financial: Benefiting from Aging Baby Boomers
Erik Dellith
Seeking Alpha.com
January 22, 2007

Overview: Dellith discusses that financial companies,including Goldman Sachs Inc. and Nicolas Financial Inc. are benefiting from aging baby boomers. Dellith explains, “There is also increased demand for financial services and products so that people can save more. This brings to mind questions about how members of this group will spend their leisure time and where they will live.”

http://financial.seekingalpha.com/article/24748

Marketers Miss Big Target When Aiming Too Young; Print, TV Ads Reaching Aging Baby Boomers with Disposable Wealth
Jessica Long
San Diego Business Journal
January 22, 2007

Overview: Long writes about the importance of targeting the baby boomer market. “Coming of Age Inc., an Illinois-based marketing firm that specializes in the baby boomer market, reports that only 25 percent of total marketing dollars are spent on boomers, who control about 75 percent to 80 percent of the spending on goods and services in this country. That’s 25 percent of total U.S. advertising and marketing spending that will amount to about $153.7 billion this year, according to New York-based research firm TNS Media Intelligence.”

http://www.sdbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=35672724.8438181.1421823.41297502.6408487.755&aID2=109362

Jeff Taylor, mastermind behind Monster.com and now Eons.com, is at it again. This time, he’s started a search engine for boomers 50+, and despite the fact that I’m in his target market, I’m not that interested. Here’s my theory about boomers and technology, and why this one may miss the mark.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Getting better all the time
Thomas Goldsmith
The News & Observer
January 23, 2007

Overview: Goldsmith reports that aging can be separated into three divisions. Baby boomers fall into the “robust and rowdy” category. Goldsmith includes quotes from Victor Marshall, director of the Institute on Aging at UNC-Chapel Hill who states, “Boomers should expect to be robust and have a lot of physical energy and active interest in life. It's great for industry. They are going to want to travel if they can afford it. They are going to want to be physically active."

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/535175.html

RetirementJobs.com Launches Assault on Age Bias
Business Wire
January 23, 2007

Overview: Press release announcing, “RetirementJobs.com, the Web's leading career destination for people aged 50+, today declared an ‘Assault on Age Bias’, a national call-to-action for employers, government, and the public to unite to reduce age bias and discrimination in the American workplace. Moreover, CEO of RetirementJobs.com states, “By uniting against age bias and encouraging employers to proactively retain and hire 50+ workers, we'll strengthen the economy.”

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070123005246&newsLang=en

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Sujen Bhashkar (Director of Marketing): "Boomer Radio was launched as a means of providing Boomers with radio programs targeting listeners from the Boomer age group"
Thematuremarket.com
January 24, 2007

Overview: This article features an interview with Sujen Bhashkar, director of marketing for Boomer Radio. Bhashkar shares, “Radio Boomer was launched to fill a void in the mainstream mass media, where Boomer News and Information does not receive the coverage that it rightfully deserves. Baby Boomers represent 29% of the total Australian population, so the Radio Boomer Website targets a massive potential audience.”

http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/boomer-radio-8264-5.html

How to Overcome Generational Differences Challenging Today's Realtors
RISMEDIA
January 24, 2007

Overview: This piece provides real estate professionals with advice on targeting different generations. “Large portions of the Traditionalist and Baby Boomer Generations show definite preferences for utilizing traditional media and resources for consumer actions. Generation X and Y than 40 demonstrate higher percentages of Internet use and tend to gravitate online for consumer actions.”

http://www.rismedia.com/wp/2007-01-23/how-to-overcome-generational-differences-challenging-today%E2%80%99s-realtors/

. . . Or should you be retiring at all? Labour shortage spurs Ottawa to ask boomers to work past 65
Richard Brennan
Toronto Star
January 24, 2007

Overview: Brennan reports, “The federal government is pleading with aging baby boomers to work past retirement to offset a serious labour shortage in Canada."

http://www.thestar.com/Article/174269

Last week, I suggested that 50+ search engine Cranky.com misses the mark with boomers because when it comes to technology, we want what are kids are using—even if we’re a cycle or two behind. But there’s another issue that dampens interest from the get-go: the name.

I have to admit, like many Americans, I have become intrigued with the shiny, charismatic rising political star, Senator Barack Obama. He seems wise, compassionate and like a breath of fresh air. And I was more than pleased when he announced his first steps towards presidential candidacy last week. So when I read John M. Broder’s New York Times piece, “Shushing the Baby Boomers” on Sunday, I found myself scratching my head for two reasons.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Generation V: new generation thrives on vitality
Thematuremarket.com
January 25, 2007

Overview: Boomers who posses a desire to maintain vitality are now considered “Generation V.” Dr. Hal E. Quinley from The Segmentation Company, a division of Yankelovich Inc. states, "There is a distinct segment of the Boomer population that I would classify as 'Generation V' because they not only rank physical and mental vitality above wealth, professional achievement and social status -- values generally associated with Boomers -- they also take active measures to ensure their vitality for years to come. Generation V is a significant and meaningful component of a very influential demographic that's at the vanguard of a new approach to personal health," he said.

http://www.thematuremarket.com/SeniorStrategic/generation-V-new-generation-thrives-on-vitality-8273-5.html

Boomers have an age bias
Ellen Goodman
Cincinnati Enquirer
January 25, 2007

Overview: Goodman reflects, “The baby-boomer generation that is forever setting the agenda has begun turning 60.” Moreover, she writes, “One of the charms of the boomers, the watermelon in the demographic python, is how they are managing to age without getting old.”

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/EDIT/701250313/1003

Boomers dropping the ball
J.D. Mullane
Phillyburbs.com
January 25, 2007

Overview: Mullane writes, “Unless they act, the baby boomer generation has a rendezvous with ignominy. Two reasons: the bungled prosecution of the present war, and the coming collapse of Medicare and Social Security. If the boomers — who pretty much run everything now — don’t act, these stunning twin failures will come to define the generation in American history.”

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/219-01252007-1167742.html

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

TV Watch: Reality Check for a Generation That Knows Best
Alessandra Stanley
The New York Times
January 26, 2007

Overview: This New York Times piece compares current TV trends with baby boomers and discuses how boomers play a key role in those current trends. Stanley reports, “They may not be the greatest generation, but baby boomers are the bossiest and most imposing, and they have a way of muscling their way past young upstarts and innovators.” She ends this article by suggesting, “Baby boomers don’t eat their young; they just keep them hooked on their leftovers.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/arts/television/26real.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Baby Boomers in the Classroom
Ysolt Usigan
Jobs.aol.com
January 24, 2007

Overview: Usigan reports, “While some are remaining true to form and retiring, more and more baby boomers approaching retirement age are deviating. Instead of leaving the workplace to lounge around or travel, they are making like 18-year-olds and going back to college.” Additionally, Usigan shares personal experiences from boomers who have continued their education to pursue their career dreams including FH Boom co-chair Dr. Carol Orsborn, who also provides expert commentary on the phenomenon.

http://jobs.aol.com/article/onlinecampus/_a/baby-boomers-in-the-classroom/20070118170309990002

Baby boomers to retire 'wealthiest'
Press Association via Guardian Unlimited
January 26, 2007

Overview: “A survey by Halifax Financial Services found that people currently in their late 50s and early 60s have more investments, disposable income and higher pension wealth than any other generation has had at retirement age.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6372087,00.html

Baby Boomer Demo Becoming Top Priority
Glenn Haussman
Hotelinteractive.com
January 26, 2007

Overview: This article concentrates on the hotel industry and strategies in marketing to the baby boomer demographic. “Yes, baby boomers have money, but they are also part of one of the hardest working generations and believe they are entitled to a unique experience in their hotel. I love to listen and eavesdrop at hotels and I find that women are speaking up. They don’t want just some experience. City-by-city, if they stay at a particular brand, women want a specific kind of experience,” states Clay Dickinson, VP of global travel and hospitality for EDS.

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/hi_index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=6972

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

It's about time we appreciated older women
Anita Creamer
The Sacramento Bee
January 28, 2007

Overview: Creamer discusses the Academy Award nominees for best actress and how they encourage baby boomer women. She writes, “What this means, of course, isn't simply that the world at large has finally discovered that women past 40 still exist. More than that, the world's also figured out that we have money to spend. Lots and lots of money. Which we're more than happy to shell out for spackle, shellac and other cosmetic products that can help us hang on to our looks a little longer. We'd like to look as young as we feel.”

http://www.sacbee.com/107/story/113583.html

Internet Romance: How Match.com Found Love Among Boomers --- Dating Site Prospers Targeting Older Singles; The Body Art Question
Sara Silver
The Wall Street Journal
January 27, 2007

Overview: Silver reports on the popularity of online dating. “Match's success in targeting older daters, as well as other overlooked markets such as divorcees and suburbanites, also reflects a maturing Web industry that is expanding beyond its fixation on the very young and tapping other demographics, including the wealthy market of boomers. That's an especially promising strategy for a Web site that depends on fees, not the youth-obsessed ad industry.”

*Please note: this article requires subscription to access.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116986384874189836-search.html?
KEYWORDS=Sara+Silver+&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month

Travel is more than a beach for growing number of boomers: Exotic adventure trips immerse travelers in other cultures
Lisa Kadane
Edmonton Journal
January 27, 2007

Overview: This piece focuses on baby boomers’ travel trends. Kadane shares, “A recent Leger Marketing online survey found 77 per cent of Canadian baby boomers say they're more adventurous in their travel choices than their parents. Almost half (44 percent) say they're traveling to more exotic destinations than they were a decade ago. And when they arrive, 52 per cent say they're more likely to engage in activities from scuba diving to zip-lining, instead of lying on a beach.”

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/travel/story.html?id=b35d3093-bd51-4203-9a09-e6997c704361

A generation faces its mortality
Sue Vorenberg
Albuquerque Journal
January 27, 2007

Overview: Vorenberg suggests that baby boomers are trying to avoid facing mortality. Moreover, “An analysis by Scripps Howard News Service found boomers are dying from accidents, drug abuse and suicide at higher rates than the generations that came before them.”

http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jan/27/generation-faces-its-mortality/

Close your eyes and think of a tea party. People are coming and going. People old and young. Sometimes you need them and sometimes they need you. Authors Kate Klimo and Buffy Shutt, of Coming of Age All Over Again: The Ultimate Midlife Handbook, interviewed recently on the “Forever Young” segment of the "Today Show", talk about visualizing yourself at the tea party ... with friends, with children, with parents, with young people you mentor professionally. They say the key to aging well are friends and the changing roles you play in each others lives.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

HowToRentVacationHomes.com Gives Baby Boomers Five Reasons to Buy Vacation Property
PR Web
January 30, 2007

Overview: Press release announcing, “Baby Boomers all over the world are looking for ways to supplement their income during their retirement years. Buying vacation property is one option that should be considered.” Moreover, Howtorentvacationhomes.com contributes value, income, equity, pleasure and age to reasons why boomers should think about buying vacation property.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/1/prweb500720.htm

Good Question: Will Baby Boomers Bankrupt Us?
Ben Tracy
WCCO-TV via WCCO.com
January 30, 2007

Overview: Tracy’s segment focuses on how baby boomer retirement will affect benefits and programs like Social Security and Medicare. Tracy reports, “However, the news is not all bad. Many economists say the boomer retirement will create a shortage of skilled workers. This could push up wages and put more power in the hands of employees.”

http://wcco.com/seenon/local_story_029234640.html

Forget Retirement: Boomers Prefer To Follow Their Dreams
Susan Felt
The Arizona Republic
January 29, 2007

Overview: Boomers continue to forgo retirement and look for their dream jobs. Felt writes, “Besides wanting something interesting and challenging, they also want flexibility.”

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0129transition0129.html

Yesterday I flew across country. As I settled in my seat -- 23D -- I was hoping that the middle seat would stay empty. The guy in 23F kept saying maybe we'd get lucky and get a break on this full flight. Unfortunately for us, the 6'5", nearly 400 lb guy sliding sideways down the aisle was heading towards us. You guessed it. He took his seat and half of mine. We could barely get the arm rest down and he had to suck it in big time to lock the seat belt. And when I needed to scroll the channels up and down -- yes on our shared arm rest -- my index finger had to sneak under the folds to make the change. I even wondered it he’d think I was flirting.

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

America's Baby Boomers Predict The Indianapolis Colts To Win Super Bowl XLI!
PR Newswire
January 31, 2007

Overview: This press release announces poll results from an online study conducted by OTX on behalf of TV Land, a division of Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks (VIAB) that indicates baby boomers are “planning to watch the game at home with friends and/or family, and one-third of those homes will be equipped with HDTV as Boomers over index the total population on subscribing to HDTV service from a cable/satellite company. This reinforces TV Land's earlier research that Boomers are embracing and purchasing today's emerging entertainment offerings.” Moreover, the study finds that baby boomers predict that the Indianapolis Colts will win this year’s Super Bowl.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/01-31-2007/0004516859&EDATE=

60 is the new sexy; Silver foxes Helen Mirren and Diane Keaton prove you can still be fabulous way beyond 50
Jane Ridley
New York Daily News
January 30, 2007

Overview: Ridley reports on boomer women icons, like Helen Mirren and Diane Keaton, and how they impact the beauty and fashion industries. She writes, “Companies such as MAC, which features Catherine Deneuve and Diana Ross in its ads, and CoverGirl, which brought '70s model Christie Brinkley out of retirement. The fashion industry is falling over itself to dress glamorous baby boomers like Cybill Shepherd, 56, and Sharon Stone, 48. Carolina Herrera was thrilled when Streep wore one of her creations to the Golden Globes.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/493259p-415309c.html

I worry about these baby boomers
Laurnie Capronie
Ledger Independent
January 31, 2007

Overview: In this opinion column, Capronie shares her “good news” and “bad news” about boomers. Specifically, Capronie writes, “Boomers, super-heated-consumers, have for many years fueled a spending spree which has helped drive the U.S. economy. They have dragged the rest of us with them, especially savers and small investors. They have our eternal gratitude.” She continues, “The bad news. Admiration and respect aside, here comes the worry. Baby Boomers, apparently by a landslide majority, don’t have nearly enough money to retire.”

http://www.maysville-online.com/articles/2007/01/30/opinion/local_columns/009laurnie.txt

Keep On Keeping On
Margarett Dickson
Up & Coming Magazine via Zwire.com
January 31, 2007

Overview: Dickson reflects, “The sheer size of the Baby Boomer generation - the largest in American history, has given us clout at every stage, from requiring new school facilities first grade through college, generating social change for better or for worse, and inventing casual Fridays. We also seem to be reinventing old age by largely refusing to acknowledge it, even though the vanguard of our generation began turning 60 last year.”

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1147&dept_id=483434&newsid=17785631&PAG=461&rfi=9

When I was a marketer in my 20’s and 30’s, the thought never occurred to me (or to any of my similarly-aged clients, for that matter) to target “old” people. That was the 1970’s and 80’s, and there was no discussion by marketers or the media about people 40 plus as a market force. They were off the radar screen—powerless, invisible.