"Dychtwald and Morison offer a brilliant and convincing perspective: an
essential re-think of what 'aging' and 'retirement' mean today and an
invitation to help mobilize the best in the tidal wave of Boomer Third
Agers."
--Daniel Goleman, PhD, Author, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can
Matter More Than IQ
Throughout 99 percent of human history, life expectancy at birth was
less than 18 years. Few people had a chance to age. Today, thanks to
extraordinary medical, demographic, and economic shifts, most of us
expect to live long lives. Consequently, the world is witnessing a
powerful new version of retirement, driven by the power and needs of the
Baby Boomer generation. Consumers over age 50 account for more than half
of all spending and control more than 70% of our total net worth - yet
are largely ignored by youth-focused marketers. How will work, family,
and retirement be transformed to accommodate two billion people over the
age of 60 worldwide? In the coming years, we'll see explosive business
growth fueled by this unprecedented longevity revolution.
What Retirees Want presents the culmination of 30 years of research by
world-famous "Age Wave" expert Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., and author and
consultant Robert Morison. It explains how the aging of the Baby Boomers
will forever change our lives, businesses, government programs, and the
consumer marketplace. This exciting new stage of life, the "Third Age,"
poses daunting questions:
- What will "old" look like in the years ahead? With continued advances
in longevity, all of the traditional life-stage markers and boundaries
will need to be adjusted.
- What new products and services will boom as a result of this coming
longevity revolution?
- What unconscious ageist marketing practices are hurting people - and
business growth?
- Will the majority of elder boomers outlive their pensions and
retirement savings and how can this financial disaster be prevented?
- What incredible new technologies of medicine, life extension, and
human enhancement await us in the near future?
- What purposeful new roles can we create for elder boomers so that the
aging nations of the Americas, Europe, and Asia capitalize on the
upsides of aging?
- Which pioneering organizations and companies worldwide have created
marketing strategies and programs that resonate with the quirky and
demanding Boomer generation?
In this entertaining, thought-provoking, and wide-ranging book,
Dychtwald and Morison explain how individuals, businesses, non-profits,
and governments can best prepare for a new era - where the needs and
demands of the "Third Age" will set the lifestyle, health, social,
marketplace, and political priorities of generations to come.
