Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"
Hotels Shake Up Time-Share Act
Jeffery Selingo
The New York Times
April 10, 2007
Overview: This piece focuses on time-share properties and how baby boomers are contributing to this industry. Selingo reports, “As the prices of second homes move out of reach for many Americans, older couples like the Gilberts are buying time shares as an alternative. Baby boomers account for about half of time-share buyers, according to the American Resort Development Association, a trade group in Washington. Long known for its high-pressure sales tactics, the industry has attracted many soon-to-be-retirees with new products that avoid the term ‘time share’ in favor of ‘vacation club’ or ‘fractional ownership,’ and offer more flexible options for owners.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/retirement/10share.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Training to Be Old
Claudia H. Deutsch
The New York Times
April 10, 2007
Overview: Deutsch writes about the need for boomers to prepare for the psychological and physical implications associated with retirement in addition to financial preparation. She suggests, “So with the first wave of baby boomers already in their 60s, gerontologists are bracing for a tsunami of disgruntled postretirees who have left the psychic and physical aspects of aging to chance.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/retirement/10age.html
Keeping current with older buyers; Trends in newer designs
Robert Cole
The Kansas City Star
April 10, 2007
Overview: Cole reports on how baby boomers are spending on new home designs. Specifically he shares, “An increasing number of builders also are adding features that cater to baby boomers age 55 and over. More than $100 billion worth of new homes are expected to be sold this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Boomers typically resist labels such as ‘aging’ or ‘graying’ for ones like ‘active adults.’ Instead of playing shuffleboard, they’re spending big bucks to attend a Rod Stewart concert or scuba dive off the Florida coast.”
http://www.kansascity.com/194/story/64690.html
The New World of "Old"
Peter G. Miller
Reality Times
April 10, 2007
Overview: Miller discusses the housing market trends of the baby boomer generation. He writes, “The housing needs of the baby-boom generation are distinctly different than the population in general.” He goes on to say, “While some baby-boomers prefer over-55 communities with their child-free environments, others find a mix of age groups interesting and stimulating.”