Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Builders Appeal to Baby Boomers with 'Active Adult' Communities
Allan Lengel
www.palmbeachpost.com

Overview: “Stegner, 68, lives at Leisure World of Virginia, an ‘active adult community’ for the 55-plus set in Loudoun County, Va. It is one of about 40 such communities in the Washington area - one of the hottest markets for this type of housing outside the Sun Belt.”

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2007/12/03/c1bz_reboomers_1203.html

Though it's a Challenge, Businesses Can No Longer Ignore Marketing Strategies for Baby Boomers
Karen Farkas
www.cleveland.com

Overview: “The aging baby boom generation is rewriting the rules of marketing. It's time for businesses to throw out the decades-long belief that products should be aimed at two groups - those age 18-49 or those 50 and over - experts say.”

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1196674702138290.xml&coll=2

Keep 'Boomer Wealth' in Area
www.news.enquirer.com

Overview: “For some time, economic planners looking at the future of states such as Ohio and Kentucky have centered on the problem of retirement-age residents moving to warmer climates, taking their wealth, spending habits and tax potential with them.”

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/EDIT01/712030418/1090/EDIT

Top News From Today's "Boomiverse"

Boomer course closes generation gap
Sharon Jayson
USA Today
December 4, 2007

Overview: “Does the word ‘plastics’ bring to mind Dustin Hoffman. If you're a baby boomer, you'll probably get this. And now, so will some college kids. They're the first group of students at American University taking a class called ‘Talking About My Parents' Generation: Understanding Baby Boomers and How They've Shaped Us.’”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-12-03-boomer-main_N.htm

Everything old is new, and on shelves, again
Associated Press
MSNBC.com
December 3, 2007

Overview: “Company takes iconic Boomer food brands and reintroduces them.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22068508/

Tips For Reaching Baby Boomers Via TV and Online
Peter Koeppel
Furniture World Magazine
December 3, 2007

Overview: “Boomers were the first generation to grow up with TV, so it makes sense that they still prefer this medium as they age. In fact, on average, Boomers watch 22 minutes more TV per day than younger people, according to Nielsen Media Research. And since TV viewership increases with age, as the Boomers mature, their TV viewing time will continue to rise. What does this mean for marketers?”

http://www.furninfo.com/absolutenm/templates/NewsFeed.asp?articleid=8316

When I worked at A.A.H.S.A. I distinctly remember one visit to a retirement community in Baltimore, during which we were filming a handful of the residents dining. Upon seeing the camera crew roll through their living space, one resident looked up proudly and uttered “I’m an old-timer.” Upon hearing this expression, her friends all began nodding their heads in agreement, and soon there was a chorus of them happily belting out that they too were “old-timers.” I remember being struck by how relaxed they were with a term that organizationally we would have shied far away from in describing this population.

For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

How to Use TV and the Internet to Tap Into the Baby Boomer Market
Peter Koeppel
www.publications.mediapost.com

Overview: “In the past Advertisers have focused on reaching consumers in the 18-49 age range. That may be changing. As more and more companies are realizing the buying power that the Baby Boomer generation possesses, marketers are shifting their ad dollars and campaigns to reach this powerful market segment.”

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=72041

Don’t Retire Poor
Dan Caplinger
www.fool.com

Overview: “After working hard all your life, you don't want to struggle to make ends meet in retirement. Yet that's exactly what many baby boomers will have to do.”

http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/retirement/2007/12/04/dont-retire-poor.aspx

Many 'Seniors' Don't Feel Too Senior
Evadna Bartlett
www.dailymail.com

Overview: “Perhaps we should look at changing the name of this column. The words ‘retire’ and ‘senior’ are now in disfavor, say coordinators of two of the multicounty offices that link volunteers 55 and older with projects.”

http://www.dailymail.com/Life/200712040045

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Books: Baby Boomers Chronicled
Carole Goldberg
www.courant.com

Overview: “Has there ever been a generation more minutely examined, more self-absorbed and more maligned than the baby boomers? And can there possibly be anything more to learn about those born from 1946 to 1964 and their continuing effect on American culture?”

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/hc-criticbooks.artdec06,0,2191840.story

Affluent Boomers May Leave Heirs Little
www.chron.com

Overview: “The greatest transfer of wealth in history may end up leaving heirs disappointed - and could mean big changes for financial advisers.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5353886.html

Boomers Want to Know: 'Will You Still Need Me?'
Justin Thompson
www.infozine.com

Overview: “In the not-so-old days, retirement seemed simple. Get a job. Work for 30 to 40 years. Retire. Enjoy. Things have changed.

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/25964/

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Medium Delivers Message in '1968'
Mary McNamara
www.calendarlive.com

Overview: “Having done his bit to define and honor ‘the Greatest Generation,’ it is not surprising that Tom Brokaw has followed it up with a book about the Sixties and, of course, the requisite television special.”

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-brokaw7dec07,0,7506348.story?coll=cl-tv-features

Some Boomers May Not Be Ready for Their Golden Years
Rosemary McCracken
www.canada.com

Overview: “The leading edge of Canada's 10 million baby boomers turned 60 this year and many are moving into retirement. But members of the ‘me generation’ who grew up with a sense of entitlement are discovering they may not be financially prepared to have it all in their golden years.”

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=2ee40c45-37af-4063-a4b3-2841b00292b7

Pioneers in Wireless Targeting the Market for Simpler Devices
Keith Darce
www.signonsandiego.com

Overview: “The privately held company is targeting baby boomers who want an alternative to sleek, fashion-conscious handsets packed with digital cameras, MP3 players, video games and Internet browsers. Other potential customers might want a simple-to-use cell phone for their elderly parents.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20071207-9999-1b7great.html

Please follow the link below to our newest whitepaper “Boomer Wanted.” We are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received from early readers, and grateful to Steve French of Natural Marketing Institute for providing us with original research on this most important of subjects. "Boomer Wanted"

The brain economy has replaced the brawn. There is a monetary value that can and should be assigned to mentoring and wisdom. And you can have older and younger generations working together productively. It’s all about respect.

Eileen Marcus

"For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog"

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

The ’60s as the Good Old Days
Stuart Elliott
www.nytimes.com

Overview: “If you remember the ’60s, as a popular saying goes, you probably weren’t there. No matter. Madison Avenue is taking you back with a skein of campaigns celebrating sights and sounds of the decade.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/business/media/10adcol.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Boomer Bust is Treated Like Fiction
Sylvia A. Smith
www.journalgazette.net

Overview: “On ‘Boston Legal’ last week, a provocative radio talk-show host was fired for calling for the death of old people because they suck too many resources from young people, whom the government forces to pay for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071209/EDIT0501/712090421

More Baby Boomers Ride Motorcycles, Get Injured
Cheryl Clark
www.signonsandiego.com

Overview: “Matt Heintschel used to reminisce about running his Yamaha motorbike up and down the hills of north Escondido. If only he could recapture his youth that way, he thought.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071209-9999-1m9bikers.html

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Fewer Boomers Looking to Inheritance
Keith Woolhouse
www.canada.com

Overview: “The percentage of baby boomers counting on an inheritance to see them through their retirement years has declined dramatically over the past 10 years.”

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=b7cb6815-3f56-4ad8-9772-d0d99f7bc771

Happy-Go-Lucky Boomers May Be in for Shock
Keith Woolhouse
www.canada.com

Overview: “In a perfect world, baby boomers -- those pampered souls who have ridden the consumer gravy train for much of their lives -- should be riding into their golden years with the same gusto.”

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=5d911093-a188-4478-bc9e-23adc15a2fbf

Va., Boomers Facing a Crisis, Expert Says
Bill Lohmann
www.inrich.com

Overview: “Geriatrics expert Richard W. Lindsay stood before a room of state business, government and civic leaders yesterday and let out the high-pitched sound of an emergency siren. Virginia is about to enter a crisis, he said.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/business.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-12-11-0029.html

Online social networking is becoming increasingly popular not just among teenagers, but among niche audiences. A study conducted by Nielson/Netratings revealed that traffic among the top 10 social networking sites grew by a whopping 47% over the last year. So it isn’t surprising that specialized sites are regularly surfacing in order to meet the demands of diverse and growing online audiences—who want to share everything from their favorite movies, to business profiles, to books and photos.

"For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog"

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Fears of Social Security's Collapse Unfounded, Experts Say
Bob Moos
www.dallasnews.com

Overview: “On her blog, Cassandra Devine balks at the prospect of paying for the baby boomers' Social Security benefits.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/121207dnbussocialsecurity.23b7d2b.html

Western American Boomers More Proactive with Financial Planning
Rebecca Moore
www.planadviser.com

Overview: “A nationwide survey indicates Baby Boomers from the Western U.S. have a markedly different outlook on their life, health, and money, than do boomers in other regions of the country.”

http://www.planadviser.com/research/article.php/1537

Is the Commercialization of the Sixties Something to Mourn?
Zac Bissonnettee
www.bloggingstocks.com

Overview: “Hippies and former hippies probably have a lot of reasons to be bitter about the commercialization of their movement.”

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/12/11/is-the-commercialization-of-the-sixties-something-to-mourn/

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

'Brain Gym' May Exorcise Boomers' Fears About Aging
Heidi Benson
www.sfgate.com

Overview: “Marathon-happy Baby Boomers, those 78 million Americans born from 1946 to '64, were the first generation to make a religion of physical fitness. Now, they are investing time and money to maintain what's above their six-pack abs and rippling biceps: their brains.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/13/MNMETNGMV.DTL

Hearing Aids Are Slow to Offer Baby Boomers Style
Vern Seward
www.orlandosentinel.com

Overview: “It didn't happen overnight. Instead, it crept up one rock concert, one disco, one fireworks display at a time. It adds up. Many of us don't notice how bad our hearing has become. At least that's what we tell ourselves.”

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-orhearing1307dec13,0,3205621.story

Tom Brokaw Tackles Boomers and the Upheaval of the '60s in His Latest Book
John Marshall
www.seattlepi.nwsource.com

Overview: “For his most popular book, Tom Brokaw coined the grandiloquent term ‘The Greatest Generation’ for the Americans who fought and triumphed in the crucible of World War II. But when he decided that he would write a book concentrating on the baby boom generation and the 1960s, it was boomer cartoonist Garry Trudeau of ‘Doonesbury’ fame who posed the urgent question. ‘What are you going to call this one?’ inquired Trudeau. 'The Worst Generation?’

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/343192_brokaw13.html

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Aging Boomers Spur Reverse Mortgage Biz
Mavis Scanlon
www.eastbay.bizjournals.com

Overview: “Golden Gateway Financial Inc., a venture-capital-backed Oakland startup that bills itself as a reverse mortgage marketplace, officially launches next week.”

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/12/17/story1.html?b=1197867600%5E1564182

Brokaw's 'Boom!' is a Bit of a Bust
Al Neuharth
www.usatoday.com

Overview: “His latest book Boom! (Random House, $28.95) is having trouble cracking most best-seller lists, except for The Times, where it has been No. 2 and 3. It's getting rapped by reviewers. Why?”

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/12/brokaws-boom-is.html

Today we are featuring a guest blog from Ben Finzel of FH Out Front:

Regular readers have probably figured out by now that I think one of the most fascinating gay and lesbian communications challenges is communicating about retirement and aging issues. Reaching “gayby boomers” and other gays and lesbians on these issues requires real insight and understanding of our community and the varied audiences it comprises. Increasingly, it’s an essential element of many communications programs, particularly as our community ages alongside the general population.

"For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog"

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Baby Boomers Become a Classroom Resource
Ray Parker
www.azcentral.com

Overview: “Experience Corps Mesa is tapping into the newest crop of volunteers - baby boomers. This movement of millions of 50- and 60-somethings into a new phase in their working lives constitutes one of the most significant social trends in nearly half a century.”

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1217edtutor1217.html

Baby Boomers Confront Stuff That Their Parents Have Left Behind
Virginia Rohan
www.northjersey.com

Overview: “Ron Schlag climbed the attic stairs of his childhood home -- and into a virtual time machine.”

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcyMzM1NzgmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3

New Age: Boomers Likely to Stay 'Seekers'
Matthew Miller
www.lsj.com

Overview: “The baby boomers will present a challenge to religious institutions as they age, a challenge that's about more than the fact that, at 76 million strong, they promise to be the largest group of senior citizens this country has ever known.”

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/LIFE/712160662/1079/life

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Fitness Experts Offer Tips for Baby Boomers, Older Adults Who Want to Become More Active
www.associatedcontent.com

Overview: “2008 Will Find More Folks Over 50 Starting New Fitness or Activity Plans.”

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/489223/fitness_experts_offer_tips_for_baby.html

Caring for Boomers: It's Some Hard Math
Bill Lohmann
www.wmbb.com

Overview: “Who will take care of baby boomers when they need help? The numbers don't seem to add up.”

http://www.wmbb.com/gulfcoastwest/mbb/news.apx.-content-articles-MBB-2007-12-17-0004.html

No Retirement for Many Boomers
www.jacksonville.com

Overview: “Once upon a time, I thought I would retire when I reached a certain age. Now, full-time retirement seems as unlikely to be part of my future as winning the lottery.”

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121807/opl_226307798.shtml

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Scottsdale Boomerz Moves to Membership
Diana Balazs
www.azcentral.com

Overview: “The Scottsdale Boomerz project has become a membership organization. Many services the project previously offered free to the public will be free for Boomerz members only.”

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1219neboomerz1219.html

The Hellraising Generation
Greg LaMotte
www.kulr8.com

Overview: “Recently former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw spoke with KULR about the largest generation known as baby boomers. When asked how he would describe the baby boomers, Brokaw said, ‘The hellraising generation. I honestly think they're not as bad as a lot of people have characterized them.’”

http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/12615786.html

Please enjoy this blog from our archives. FH Boom is taking a break, and we will resume publication after the Holidays. Have a safe and happy Holiday season.

Please follow the link below to our newest whitepaper “Boomer Wanted.” We are pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received from early readers, and grateful to Steve French of Natural Marketing Institute for providing us with original research on this most important of subjects. "Boomer Wanted"

The brain economy has replaced the brawn. There is a monetary value that can and should be assigned to mentoring and wisdom. And you can have older and younger generations working together productively. It’s all about respect.

Eileen Marcus

"For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog"

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Service Gap Irks Boomers
Jeff Gammage
www.philly.com

Overview: “If you're over 50, you've probably had this experience: You're standing at a checkout counter, ready to pay, and the twenty-something behind the register is talking on her cell phone. So you wait, and wait, and wait, and when the clerk finally finishes her conversation, she offers not an apology, but a grimace that suggests you've interrupted. Sound familiar? It has a name: the Service Gap.”

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20071220_Service_Gap_irks_boomers.html

If 2008 Presidential Election Were Held Now, Baby Boomers Would Have Hillary Square off Against Rudy…With Hillary the Winner!
www.foxbusiness.com

Overview: “A new TV Land poll of American Baby Boomers shows that if the 2008 Presidential election were held today, Boomers would have Hillary Clinton face off against Rudolph Giuliani, with Hillary as the winner, capturing 53% of the vote compared to Rudy's 47%.”

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/media/article/2008-presidential-election-held-baby-boomers-hillary-square-rudy-hillary_414762_15.html

Homer Simpson, O’Donnel/Trump Fight Win ‘Best Boomer’ Awards
John Eggerton
www.broadcastingcable.com

Overview: “Web site Boomj.com has named the Top 10 Baby Boomers of 2007, and TV figures figure prominently in the list.”

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6514449.html

Top News from Today's "Boomiverse"

Peace and Love for the Planet Drive Baby Boomers, Survey Says
Else Wenzel
www.news.com

Overview: “Baby boomers may have retired their love beads decades ago, but changing the world heavily motivates their buying decisions, according to a poll by AARP Services and Focalyst research.”

http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9836724-54.html

Smoothing Bumps for Boomers
Bill Pennington
www.nytimes.com

Overview: “It was at the top of a trail called Hanging Tree that the fear set in. And at the crest of a steep, mogul-filled and tree-strewn trail, it’s all about the fear, isn’t it? This was near the top of Aspen Mountain last winter, and at moments like these — surveying a no-nonsense double-black-diamond run — the mind will race.”

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/travel/escapes/21ski.html

Keeping Baby Boomers Involved
www.seacoastonline.com

Overview: “Public officials, nonprofit executives and public policy advocates met at the Statehouse Thursday for an in-depth discussion about New Hampshire's aging work force, the looming challenges posed by baby-boomer retirement and ways to make it easier for older Americans to remain engaged in their communities.”

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071221/BIZ/712210420&sfad=1