Social Security News

Social Security Ready to Enroll 10,000 Baby Boomers a Day for 20 Years Online

Patty Duke Show stars helping agency promote new online enrollment form

Jan. 7, 2009 – Facing the deluge of 10,000 Baby Boomers joining Social Security and Medicare every day for the next 20 years, Social Security has decided the monumental enrollment task is best handled online. The agency, with some promotion help by “Patty Duke,” has launched the Retire Online campaign. Read more...

Baby boomers in hot pursuit of vanished youth Steps being taken by them range from healthy to bizarre LAS VEGAS - It's one of those photos that make you do a double-take. Dr. Jeffry Life stands in jeans, his shirt off. His face is that of a distinguished-looking grandpa; his head is balding, and what hair there is is white. But his 69-year-old body looks like it belongs to a muscular 30-year-old. The photo regularly runs in ads for the Cenegenics Medical Institute, a Las Vegas-based clinic that specializes in "age management," a growing field in a society obsessed with staying young. >> More of Associated Press article published 12-7-08 in Arizona Daily Star

Retirement News

Boomers, Seniors Who Need to Stay in Workforce May Find Welcome Mat at Nonprofits

Reports show nonprofit sector growing faster than business or government

Oct. 16, 2008 - In these economic times, boomers will need to work longer, and many say they want a job that provides both money and meaning. The question is - are nonprofit employers interested in hiring employees who have finished their midlife careers? What makes nonprofits more eager - or less - to give encore workers a try?  Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Health Care Costs, Other Economic Concerns Prompt Baby Boomers to Delay Retirement

Individual health insurance policies are expensive and often unavailable for early retirees

Aug. 27, 2008 - USA Today on Wednesday, as part of an ongoing series about retirement issues in the 21st century, examined how many of the 1.6 million baby boomers at age 62 who will become eligible for Social Security this year "have postponed plans to retire" because of health care costs and other economic concerns. Read more...

Big Boom in Boomer Knee Replacement Surgeries at Earlier Age

U-M experts say huge growth in need far outpaces availability of surgeons

	Click to view video report

By Krista Hopson, University of Michigan

June 2, 2008 – John Birko’s knee had osteoarthritis, was painful, and severely limited his day-to-day activities. While his knee felt as though it was about 80 years-old, Birko was only 49. And like many other baby boomers today, he was not was ready to slow down, and instead decided to have knee replacement surgery. Read more...

 Features for Senior Citizens

Graying and Affluent Market is Booming, Warming to Internet Shopping

Targeted market is over age 50 with $50,000 or more in income

April 8, 2008 - In the more than 80 metropolitan markets surveyed by The Media Audit, a recent study shows that those who are over age 50 with incomes of $50,000 or more (the "graying and affluent") have increased from 17.0 million in 2004 to 22.3 million during the past five years. Collectively, the markets surveyed have an adult population of approximately 142 million, according to a report in the Research Brief from the Center for Media Research. Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Retirement Market Booming, Boomers to Keep It Hot for Decades

Almost 18% of American adults are now retired, Florida still top market

March 10, 2008 – The status and demographics of retirees are changing so fast that marketers almost need a monthly snap shot. In the U.S., 17.9% of adults are now retired, according a recent report by The Media Audit. But, that number has increased by 6% in just the last five years. It will climb even faster as the Baby Boomers exit the workforce. Read more...

Retiring Baby Boomers Much More Traditional Than Many Have Assumed

National survey looks at boomers turning 62 – by 65 will be retired, taking Social Security

Feb. 12, 2008 - Most baby boomers that will turn 62 this year report that they are retired or will be fully retired by age 65, that they’ll collect Social Security by age 65, that they’ve been married only once and that they have 2.4 children on average. Of those who have children, 78% have grandchildren (66% of total). Conservatives outnumber liberals by two to one. Read more....

Social Security News

First Baby Boomer Files for Social Security Benefits to Start the Silver Tsunami

New Jersey woman was born a second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946

Oct. 15, 2007 – Maybe you didn’t feel the earth shake, or see the water rising, but for sure what is being called America’s “Silver Tsunami” has started. Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, born one second after midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, today became the first Baby Boomer to file for Social Security retirement benefits, which she can begin collecting in January 2008. Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Family Group Leader Sees Boomers, Longevity, Financial Bind, Health Care as Top Issues

Economic self-sufficiency - no government assistance - is increasingly more difficult – says new AAFCS president in Q&A

Aug. 3, 2007 - University of Maryland professor Bonnie Braun is the newly elected president of the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), a national, 8000-member professional organization that works to improve the quality of individual and family life. In this interview Braun discusses family issues she thinks will be important in the coming decade and thoughts about policies that will be needed to help families. Read more...

Baby Boomers May Develop Metabolic Syndrome from Too Many Soft Drinks – Even Diet

Regular and diet versions  may lead to heart disease, diabetes

July 24, 2007 – Baby Boomers, in this study described as middle-aged adults, who drank more than one soft drink daily, either diet or regular, have a more than 40 percent greater rate of either having or developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increase the risk for heart disease, according to new data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Read more...

Magazine Picks Best Cities Baby Boomers Should Consider for Retirement

Selected on atmosphere and services for residents age 50+ by AARP Magazine

July 23, 2007 – The top five places for baby boomers 50-plus to live in the U.S. are Atlanta, Beacon Hill in Boston, Chandler (Arizona), Milwaukee and Portland, according to the annual list of top retirement communities by AARP The Magazine. Read more...

Aging Baby Boomers Reluctantly Losing Spending Spotlight to Echo Boomers

Visa says Echo Boomers will be spending $2.45 trillion by 2015

May 26, 2007 - As Baby Boomers move toward retirement, their massive influence on consumer spending is about to be eclipsed by the nation’s second largest generation - Echo Boomers.  To better understand what this generational shift means to a nation whose economy is built on consumer spending, Visa USA commissioned a survey of Echo Boomers (born 1979 to 1989; ages 18 to 28) and Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964; 43 to 61 years old).  The results offer insights on where, how and why this transfer of spending power may impact the economy. Read more...

Childless Baby Boomer Women Fare as Well Psychologically as Do Mothers

Good health, husband or partner count most for older women

May 7, 2007 - For one day each year, which happens to be next Sunday, motherhood brings flowers, cards and Sunday brunches, but a new University of Florida study finds women of the baby boomer generation think motherhood is less critical than other factors that shape a woman’s life. Read more...

Are Facelifts Out with Baby Boomers? Plastic Surgeons Have Other Ideas

Nearly 102,000 people aged 40 and older had a facelift in 2006

April 25, 2007 - With new laser treatments and injectable wrinkle fillers and fighters, many baby boomers, and a few seniors, are choosing to postpone the facelift -- but it is not dead! A new facelift technique that offers “more options” is featured in May's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “Patients age 45 and older may find they only achieve their desired result with surgical rejuvenation options,” says the news release. Read more...

Features for Senior Citizens & Baby Boomers

Active Recreation Tops Lifestyle Desires for Older Baby Boomers, Senior Citizens

Del Webb survey finds adventure activities emerging for active adults

April 13, 2007 – A new survey of lifestyle interests among a select group of Baby Boomers and senior citizens shows that active recreation, especially adventurous pursuits, such as hiking and river rafting, is emerging as a top interest for these older Americans. It challenges conventional thinking about “senior” recreation, according to Del Webb, the nation's largest builder of active adult communities for people over age 54. Read more...

Baby Boomers Seeking a Different Retirement Lifestyle – At Home

As the largest demographic ages, a new housing product emerges to change the way — and the where — older Americans retire

By Nanette Overly, Epcon Communities

March 8, 2007 - That largest and most influential population, the Baby Boomer Generation, is once again exerting its gravitational pull on the American socio-cultural landscape. Now in a state of housing flux, the 400-pound gorilla of a demographic has its sights set on the housing market, redefining the expectations and priorities of mature homebuyers, and changing the face of residential development. Read more...

Experts Predict Top Trends in Marketing to Baby Boomers in 2007

Market gets attention due to its size - $2.1 trillion in spending power

March 6, 2007 – Some of the top speakers at a conference on marketing to baby boomers pooled their knowledge yesterday to select the top trends in the boomer business for 2007. Number one is the need for business to change their management models to keep boomers in the workforce. The others involved political power, health, women's self image and changes boomers will make to retirement. Read more...

Baby Boomers Report Worse Health, More Pain, Less Physical Ability Than Did Senior Citizens at Same Age

Dramatic decline in disability among people 65 and older

March 5, 2007 - Americans in their early to mid-50s today report poorer health, more pain and more trouble doing everyday physical tasks than their older peers reported at the same age in years past, a recent analysis has shown. Read more...

Baby Boomers & Sex

Almost all Americans Have Sex before Marriage and Have for Decades

Even 9 of 10 of today's senior women born in 40's did it

December 21, 2006 - When you were young and thought you were the only one that didn't do it – have premarital sex, that is - you were probably right. Almost all Americans have sex before marrying, says a new study. Contrary to the public perception that premarital sex is much more common now than in the past, the study shows that even among women who were born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 had sex before marriage. Unfortunately, the study did not include much about senior citizens born before 1940. Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Boomers, Young Seniors Nearing Retirement Need Annual Benefits Checkup

Employee Benefit Research offers 10 questions to be answered

December 6, 2006 - The end of the year is a good time for workers - especially baby boomers and younger seniors nearing retirement - to take a close look at their retirement benefits, says Dallas Salisbury, president of the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and an expert on retirement issues. He offers a list of ten questions pre-retirees should answer. Read more...

Baby Boomers More Caring of Aging Parents than Earlier Generation

Senior citizens, however, make fewer demands as they age

December 1, 2006 – Popular notions that the institution of the family is in decline were stopped in their tracks today by a new study showing that baby boomers born in the 1950's and 60's are more committed to caring for their senior citizen parents than were their own parents. The research also found that the very oldest Americans - assumed to be those most in need of care - valued it the least. Read more...

Baby Boomer Alert - the ’60s Are Coming but This Time, It’s Age, Warns Heart Expert

No way to turn back clock but boomers can reduce their risk

November 15, 2006 - For baby boomers the ’60s are coming but this time, it’s chronological age, not the “swinging” ’60s. For the next 20 years, the U.S. healthcare system could experience a tsunami of heart care demand as millions of boomers turn 60, and their risk of heart attack increases, warns a Loyola University Health System heart expert. He offers some suggestions on what boomers should do. Read more...

Money, Insurance News for Seniors & Boomers

Educating Boomers on Realty of Long-Term Care is Focus of Awareness Week

Industry event urges proactive approach to planning for LTC

November 4, 2006 – Educating baby boomers about the "reality of long-term care" and urging them to take a proactive approach to planning for these needs is the focus to Long-Term Care Awareness Week, an industry sponsored campaign that kicks off tomorrow. Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers Choose to Say They are 'TV Generation'

Cable television, Challenger explosion most meaningful events

October 27, 2006 - The 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 -- commonly referred to as Baby Boomers -- are far more likely to describe themselves as The "TV Generation" than Baby Boomers, a new study from TV Land has found. Additionally, the study found that the most meaningful cultural and historic events of Boomers' lives were not Woodstock and the war in Vietnam, as many would believe. Rather, the birth of cable television and the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion ranked as the overall most meaningful cultural and historic milestones in their lives, respectively. Read more...

Features for Senior Citizens & Baby Boomers

Senior Citizens and Boomer Children Not Communicating on Critical Issues

New Website will try to connect the generations, says WellPoint

	Major Communications Gaps % saying they talk about the following regularly with parents or children

October 25, 2006 – A new survey joins others in the past that have highlighted a communications disconnect between senior citizens and their adult children – primarily baby boomers. Seniors and their children do not appear to be talking much about important healthcare and aging topics, although the children think they are. After highlighting these gaps, WellPoint has decided to make the solution part of its effort to promote its health insurance. They have launched a Website to fix the disconnect. Read more...

News for Baby Boomers

Boomers Using More Drugs, Teens Less but Seniors Just Don't Do It

Senior citizens do not drink, smoke or use drugs like young folks

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

September 8, 2006 – The nation's reporters and editors focused on the increase of drug use by baby boomers and the decrease among young people – both good leads – but for us it is always shocking to see how little drug use there is among senior citizens. Not only to the elderly spurn drugs, they also don't smoke or drink much alcohol. Below are charts and highlights of the latest report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Read more...

How Baby Boomers Play, Live, Love and Wire the World is Subject of TV Series

TV Land explores how boomers shook the work, redefined the rules

August 31, 2006 - From growing up in the suburbs to witnessing the original moon walk, and from swirling a hula hoop to playing with hi-tech gadgets, baby boomers have shaped and continue to change the world we live in today. TV Land, the cable network, takes an entertaining and light-hearted look at what it means to be part of the grooviest generation in history when it presents Generation Boom, a four-part original special premiering on Tuesday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It is narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers). Read more...

Elder Care News for Baby Boomers

Elder Care Website and Book Target Baby Boomer Caregivers

Doctor Marion launched by company claiming to be first with such media for boomers

August 14, 2006 – Older adults carrying for even older parents is a growing trend as American life spans continue to lengthen. The latest effort at serving the need for caregiving information is a new Website that also promotes an upcoming book. Marion Somers, Ph.D., who calls herself "Doctor Marion," has announced her site is online now and her book will be published next month. Read more..

News for Baby Boomers

Baby Boomer 'Helicopter Parents' May Find Sending Kids to College Tough

Psychologists say it's not that bad and neither is empty nest syndrome

July 19, 2006 - Sending your child off to college for the first time isn't easy. But it can be especially tough on baby boomer "helicopter parents," those who tend to hover over their children and can have a hard time letting go. But not to worry, says an expert on the freshman transition at Washington University in St. Louis. Even helicopter parents can make a successful break. And, another psychologist says to not worry about the empty nest syndrome either. Read more...

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Happy 60^th Birthday to a World Changing Creation

July 4, 2006 - Not only are lots of boomers turning 60 this year, so is one of the things they - with a little help from those now senior citizens - made famous.

One of the most daring fashion innovations ever, was unveiled 60 years ago in Paris. Designer Louis Reard had nude dancer Micheline Bernardini model the new creation on July 5, 1946 - a skimpy, two-piece bathing suit named for a Pacific Atoll where the hydrogen bomb was first detonated - the bikini.

The design soon sparked a popular song about a "Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny, Yellow, Polka-Dot Bikini." Many considered the design scandalous, and most viewed it as a short-lived fad. However, bikini swimsuits - now older than most of the people who wear them - are still very much in evidence on U.S. beaches.

Bikinis and other swimwear are among the items being featured this summer at the nation's nearly 34-thousand women's clothing stores, which have sales of some 31- billion dollars a year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov

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Being a Baby Boomer is a Pain, Researcher Says

Welcome to 'Golden Years' of chronic pain - seniors live with it

by Nancy Chan

May 30, 2006 - A great deal of attention is being paid this year to Americans who are turning 60, the first of the baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964. Baby boomers already appear to be setting themselves apart from their parents and grandparents with more active and productive lifestyles in what formerly were termed “the golden years.” Read more...

Pharmaceutical-Funded Coalition Says Boomers Want Action by FDA on Alzheimer's Drugs

ACT-AD Coalition calls for recognition of Alzheimer's as urgent national health crisis

April 27, 2006 – A new coalition began an effort today to speed up the approval of Alzheimer's treatment drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug by releasing a survey of Baby Boomers' attitudes about the disease. This effort by the new ACT-AD Coalition is supported by an educational grant from two of the leading companies working to get Alzheimer's treatments approved by the FDA – Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Elan Corporation, a biotechnology company. Read more...

Baby Boomers Worry More About Gas Prices, Medical Costs Than Retirement

April 19, 2006 - More Baby Boomers are concerned about gas prices and uninsured medical costs than about retirement and other long- term expenses, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). This survey targets Baby Boomers but has advice on saving money that is valuable for senior citizens or anyone managing a household. Read more...

Many Boomers May Have to Rethink Retiring Before Becoming Senior Citizens

Few companies believe workers truly understand how to invest in retirement assets

March 27, 2006 – Boomers planning to retire before officially becoming senior citizens at age 65 may be rethinking this strategy, according to a new study, that indicates they may have to wait a little longer. Aon Consulting surveyed 1,071 U.S. employers and found that 39 percent believe half or more of their workforce will not have enough savings to retire between the ages of 62 and 65. Read more...

	Who Gets Headaches - %

Boomers Much More Likely Than Seniors to Seek Help for Headaches

March 16, 2006 – Senior citizens may be surprised to learn that they are the age group (age 65 and older) least likely to seek medical help from headaches. It's those Baby Boomers age 45 to 64 who are the most likely to get medical care and medicines prescribed for headaches. Read more...

Eying Boomer Bonanza, States Woo Retirees

Developing innovative ways to attract and keep this healthy, wealthy and relatively young new breed of retirees - and seniors welcome, too

March 7, 2006 - As the baby boom generation starts searching for the perfect place to spend its golden years, states - especially ones not typically considered havens for senior citizens - are touting their quiet communities and unblemished surroundings in hopes of grabbing a share of the retirement pie, according to Stateline.org. Read more...

Simple Test for Seniors, Boomers to Rate Risk of Dying in Four Years

Researches say all 50 or over can do it by answering just 12 questions

Feb. 16, 2006 - Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have created an index that is 81 percent accurate in predicting the likelihood of death within four years for Baby Boomers and senior citizens age 50 and older. See charts below for taking test, life expectancy tables, determining body mass index). Read more...

Sex & Single Baby Boomers

Boomers Changing How Older People View Sex, Romance, says Newsweek

More Boomers dating than any previous generation of older Americans; many looking for companionship and sex, but not necessarily marriage

Feb. 13, 2006 – The Newsweek magazine on news stands today focuses on Baby Boomers and how they are changing the way older people look at sex, romance, marriage and relationships. Older people are not what they used to be, when it comes to sex and relationships. Read more...

Boomers May Lose Their Inheritance Due to New Budget Bill

Thirty states now have laws, too, saying you are responsible for your parents - half with criminal penalties

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

Feb. 3, 2006 – Baby Boomers probably paid little attention to the final passage of the budget reduction bill on Wednesday – it reduces federal spending over the next 10 years by $99.3 billion with half of this coming out of Medicare and Medicaid. Middle aged Americans don't identify much with these social programs for the poor and the elderly. They may be in for a surprise, however, as the feds, and even the states, are moving to force the financial support for these aging parents back on their children. Read more...

Media View of Baby Boomer Women Has Shifted as Women Changed

Highly accomplished Hillary Clinton most applauded for 'standing by her man'

Jan. 24, 2006 - Media portrayal of baby boomer women has shifted and changed even as society has changed. Maryland Journalism Professor Maurine Beasley says in the 1940s, the "Doris Day ideal of a sweet, wholesome young woman permeated the media." For most women of that period, family came first. Read more...

Health Savings Accounts Not Attracting Many, But Boomers Biggest Buyers

Bush expected to add new incentives in state of the union

Jan. 23, 2006 – Less than five percent of consumers have taken advantage of the Health Savings Accounts (HAS) the Bush administration passed in 2003, but President Bush is expected to propose new incentives in his state of the union address. The HAS provides tax incentives to Americans to put aside funds for health care, and although they have not really taken off, those that are joining are baby boomers. The 2005 Insurance Audits says 56 percent of households with an HAS are people between the ages of 40 and 60. (Read opinion on HSAs and About HSAs below this news report.) Read more...

New Campaign Urges America’s 77 Million Baby Boomers to Volunteer

"Get Involved" government campaign taps boomer’s idealism and talents

Dec. 27, 2005 - Public service announcements will begin running in January, when the first wave of baby boomers start to turn 60. Recognizing the extraordinary potential for social good among America’s 77 million baby boomers, the Corporation for National and Community Service begins a multi-year public service ad campaign that asks baby boomers to get involved in their communities. Read more...

Boomers Near 60

Survey Finds Boomers Burdened With Family, Including Aging Parents

Dec. 14, 2005 - As the oldest of the nation’s 75 million baby boomers approach the age of 60 on January 1, a Pew Research Center survey released last week finds many are looking ahead to their own retirement while balancing a full plate of family responsibilities – either raising minor children or providing financial and other forms of support to adult children or to aging parents. Read more...

Baby Boomer Facts You May Not Know

Welcome to Older-Americaville to Presidents Bush & Clinton, Cher, Donald Trump, Dolly Parton, Sylvester Stallone

Dec. 12, 2005 - In 2006, the oldest of the baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, will turn 60 years old. Among the Americans celebrating their 60th will be our two most recent presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Other well-known celebrities reaching this milestone include Cher, Donald Trump, Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton. To commemorate this occasion, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts relating to, perhaps, our most celebrated generation. Read more...

Boomer Children in the Dark about Aging Parents

Stranger might have the same chance at guessing parental wishes

By Jennie Iverson

Dec. 9, 2005 — A psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis is conducting research that shows two adult siblings may have radically different views on what their parents would want. In fact, he says that a random stranger might have the same chance at guessing parental wishes as some children would. Read more...

Greenspan Again Warns Baby Boomers of Retirement Threats

Calls for action now by Washington to reduce deficit

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

Dec. 2, 2005 – Once again baby boomers are being warned that unless something is done about the soaring federal deficit their retirement years may fall far short of expectations. It has become a consistent theme of Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan, who spoke again today expressing his fear "that we may have already committed more physical resources to the baby-boom generation in its retirement years than our economy has the capacity to deliver." Read more...

Australian Study

Current Seniors May Be Last to Age Gracefully as Boomers Fight to the End

Nov. 9, 2005 - Australian society's obsession with looking younger is set to collide with the reality of aging, a University of Queensland researcher warns. The current fixation with trying to postpone aging is increasing and the current senior citizens may be the last to age gracefully, says researcher Mair Underwood, who will present her study at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) 2005 conference in Brisbane this week. Read more...

Ms. Golden America Pageant Finds Success Featuring Women over 50

Featured on ABC Good Morning America day of Florida pageant - Boomers Grab Two of Three Wins

Nov. 6, 2005 – Beauty pageants featuring older women have never received much attention, but the first Mrs. Golden America Pageant, featuring women fifty and older was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America the day of the show – Saturday, October 29. It was a big day for Kathleen LeSage, who came up with the idea for the competition and acted as director. Read more...

Thirteen Million Baby Boomers Care for Ailing Parents, 25% Live with Parents

Discrepancies about how parents and boomers remember caregiver role points to complex relationship

Oct. 19, 2005 - Thirteen million of the nation's baby boomers are caregivers of sick parents and deeply involved in every facet of their parents' care, from diagnosis to treatment, according to a 2005 survey from Campbell-Ewald Health. Interestingly, the senior citizen parents do not remember much of that help. Read more...

Personal Ad Websites Not Drawing Seniors, But Boomers…

Oct. 15, 2005 – Who is using the personal ads on the Web to find companionship? It’s not senior citizens. The only age group you are less likely to find exploring the personal ads on the Web are children from age two to eleven. Now, Baby Boomers - that is entirely different. The peak users seem to be around age 45. Read more...

Trim Baby Boomers are Not Safe from Obesity as Senior Years Approach

Vast majority of adults are at risk of becoming obese, says new study

Oct. 4, 2005 - Making it to middle age without extra pounds is no guarantee for staying at a healthy weight - even in the short term. About one in five women and one in four men, who were at a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) at a routine study examination, became overweight after four years. Among those who were overweight, 16 to 23 percent of women and 12 to 13 percent of men became obese within four years. Read more...

Boomers Hesitant to Discuss End-of-Life Issues with Aging Parents

Senior citizen parents more willing to have such discussions

Sept. 19, 2005 – Baby Boomers have much more trouble discussing sensitive matters about financial planning, medical care and end-of-life issues with their senior citizen parents than do these parents now in their 70s. Hartford Financial Services Group, sponsor of the research, says there are ways to improve this communications. Read more...

Boomer Women More Confident of Sexuality Than Younger Women

Survey suggests sexual confidence increases with age, but no mention of seniors

Sept. 13, 2005 – A new survey says 82 percent of Baby Boomer women are very or somewhat confident sexually. The researchers suggest sexual confidence and self knowledge increase as women go through life, based on the lower confidence scores for younger women. Read more...

Boomers Targeted

Gap Opens Forth & Towne to Lure Mature Women

Aug. 24, 2005 – Chico’s took a big bite out of the women’s clothing market by targeting older women. Now, the Gap is biting back with its own stores – Forth & Towne – designed to attract baby boomers and possibly even a few active senior citizens. Gap faces a challenge, since it has only a 3 percent share of the $66 billion dollar annual market for women over 35. The good news is older women are being presented with more options in places to shop. Read more...

Baby Boomers Are Heavier, More Prone to Arthritis

Obesity hit boomers earlier than for the silent generation

Aug. 15, 2005 - Baby-boomers have spent more years living with more obesity than the previous generation, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have found. Although it may be too early to tell whether this will lead to a rise in arthritis rates, the study shows more obesity-related arthritis among baby boomers compared to the previous generation, now senior citizens. Read more...

Baby Boomer Beauty Pageant Gets Former Miss Manhattan as Contestant

Ms. Golden America is brain-child of Kathleen LeSage

Aug. 4, 2005 – At least one entry has been selected for the 2006 Ms. Golden America Pageant, which focuses on “the beauty and accomplishments of women baby boomers.” Elle Nash of Fort Lauderdale, a former Miss Manhattan in the ‘60s, has been selected for the event on October 29, 2005 at the Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers, Florida. The Boomer beauty and brains contest for women over 49 is the idea of Kathleen LeSage, a former beauty queen who has worked as a marketing executive for companies that market to the over-fifty consumer. Read more...

Baby Boomers Turn to Safe Investing as They Near Retirement

Aug. 3, 2005 – Late Boomers, the leading edge of the 76 million Baby Boomers, who are about to reach 60 and be eligible for some retirement benefits, have invested their money in large-cap stocks. They have nearly 40 percent of their assets in these blue chip stocks, which are most often favored by conservative investors. They are a little more conservative than younger Boomers, according to a survey of how  Boomer executives are investing their money. Read more...

$4 Million Available to Encourage Baby Boomer Volunteers

July 28, 2005 - The Corporation for National and Community Service has announced the availability of approximately $4 million in Challenge Grants for a small number of nonprofit organizations to expand or launch new programs that encourage the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) to become volunteers to help meet important community needs. Read more...

Baby Boomers Put the Hurt on the Health Care System

July 28, 2005 - The oldest of the Baby Boomer generation will turn 60 this fall, and unlike their predecessors, they aren’t afraid to visit the doctor. In fact, their interest in staying healthy coupled with their sheer numbers are taxing the health care system more than any group in history. Read more...

Preparing for Baby Boomer Dementia Epidemic Spurs Study

June 23, 2005 - How can the U.S. health-care system and more specifically, primary care doctors - the physicians from whom older adults receive most of their care - prepare for the huge wave of dementia patients expected to engulf us in 2010, the year the baby boomers begin to reach 65? Is it a daunting task? Read more...

Boomers Want Action-Packed Retirement, Some Want to Continue Work

Survey Shows Wish List Includes More Activity, More Amenities, More Friends

June 14, 2005 - As Baby Boomers near retirement age, many say they anticipate leading active lifestyles well into their later years, according to the 2005 Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey. Approximately 50% of Boomers ages 50-59 plan to purchase new homes for their retirement, where they can enjoy lifestyles that allow them to remain physically fit and socially active. For some, remaining active may also include working beyond "retirement" age. Read more...

Ten Tips for Baby Boomers on Interacting with Aging Parents

May 24, 2005 - Watching parents grow older can be an emotional drain on adult children. This is especially difficult b>Older Boomers spend on home improvement, clothing; younger ones on children, mortgage

• Higher divorce rate than senior citizens

May 24, 2005 - The estimated annual spending power of the baby boomers is more than $2 trillion. Younger boomers (born 1956-64) spend most of their money on their children and the mortgage. Older boomers (born 1946-55), many of whom are empty nesters, put their money into upgrading their homes and on clothing, spending 13% and 11% more than average on women and men's apparel, respectively. The poverty rate for boomers was 7.3% in 2000, lower than any other segment of the population and a significant decrease from 1993 when 9.6% of boomers were below the poverty line. Read more...

New Survey

Almost Al Retirees, Baby Boomers Regret Not Doing More to Prepare for Retirement

Baby boomers may have unrealistic expectations about retirement

March 11, 2005 – Almost all retirees (98 percent) regret how they spent their money before retiring and an amazing 97 percent of baby boomers share this regret and are uncomfortable with how much they have accumulated during their pre-retirement years. Still, both senior citizens and boomers continue to overspend and show little concern for rising costs for critical expenses such as healthcare, says a new survey. Read more...

Boomers, Seniors Drive Surge in Vacation Home Buying

Second homes, investment buys were 36 percent of all home sales in 2004

March 1, 2005 – The older baby boomers and senior citizens, more closely identified as persons 55 or older and earning and average of $71,000 per year, were the driving force in a surge of vacation home buying in 2004 – up 16.3 percent from 2003 and 13 percent of all homes bought in 2004. This surge, however, was topped by investment home purchases, which were 23 percent of all sales and up 14.4 percent, according to a new study. Read more...

Best, Cheapest Retirement Investment for Baby Boomers? Exercise!

By Ellen Freudenheim
Author of Looking Forward: An Optimist's Guide to Retirement

Jan. 21, 2005 - People are always talking about investments for retirement. Financial investments, that is. If you start treating your health as an investment, though, you could find that exercise is a terrific retirement strategy worth its weight in gold. Read more...

New Book Tells How to Live Cheaper, Retire Early

Second book by author Fred Brock on retirement tips

Jan. 10, 2005 – An educator says he has found the way to retire early – live cheaper. And, Fred Brock says in promoting his news book, “Live Well on Less Than You Think,” he has five tips on how to live cheaper. More... 1/10/05*

Baby Boomers Reclaim Independence in the Empty Nest but Many Expect Parents to Move In or Kids to Come Back

June 29, 2004 – Baby Boomers have now reached the “empty nest” stage of life and 57 percent feel “freedom to be themselves,” but 24 percent expect their in-laws are parents to move in and 25 percent expect the kids back home, according to research by Del Webb. More... 6/29/04*