The Baby Boomer generation is worldwide and not just an American thing. Australia, Canada, UK and parts of Europe, New Zealand and South Africa all have this demographic bubble.

So I was interested to read an article from the Sydney Morning Herald discussing some of the problems facing the boomers and society in general.

40 years ago people retired on the pension and felt entitled to it having worked all their lives. These days however to retire on the pension alone is considered a failure and those who do are considered second class citizens.

To quote,
“There is a very strong feeling among baby boomers that they should have provided for themselves, and that they somehow feel that they haven’t really done the right thing by ending up on the pension, even though, for almost all of them, there has been no choice over how life circumstances have turned out.”

It seems the retirement dilemma is causing ripples yet again.

To read the full article see Attitude Toward Pention Needs To Change

Although I am a 60s boomer and so have a few more years ahead of me until my nominal retirement age I found this great article from Canada as relevant to me as well as those baby boomers closer to the big retirement day decision.

Consider the following;

‘It might come as a shock to many baby boomers, but the golden years are fast approaching and for most they are lasting longer than ever’.

‘While many fear the final third of their life will be defined by isolation, poverty and physical degradation; with conscious planning it can be easy to lead a happy, fulfilling, and healthy lifestyle’.

To read the whole article please pop over to www.bclocalnews.com for the full story.

When you consider that a growing number of baby boomers are single as just discussed in a previous comment, it reassuring to read that with a bit of planning all will be well.

Head over a have a read, you’ll feel better.

It seems we baby boomers are getting some deserved recognition in the job market, at least by some retailers. This is great news for baby boomers out there that don’t want to retire and put their feet up. It seems some boomers want to remain an active full or part-time member of the workforce for some time yet.

Here is an extract from pe.com;

Whether it’s a lifestyle choice or because of pressing financial need, experts say the leading edge of the baby boom generation is staying on the job past the traditional retirement age.

Companies are finding that an old-fashioned work ethic is still valuable, and so is a familiar face. Retailers recognize the benefit of a work force whose demographics match those of their shoppers. The result? A work force that increasingly resembles their customers.

This is a great article giving some statistics as well as a personal note. For a complete read click here on baby boomer retirement.

Having just posted about Baby Boomers retirement threats, I saw this the next day at Marketwatch. With a headline of;

Housing crash hits baby boomers
Home-price declines will eat into boomer retirement nest eggs

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The collapse of the housing bubble will likely have drastic implications on the wealth and retirement of certain baby boomers, according to a report Tuesday by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
The median household headed by those between 45 and 54 in 2009 will have about 25% less wealth than the median household of that age in 2004, according to the report. That household’s wealth will decline to $113,268 in 2009, from $150,113 in 2004.

This is a reality guys ……………. to read the whole report click here.

This is not only a USA event. The Baby Boomer generations are as dominant in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Internal geo-political situations differ between all these countries, but the size, weight and influence of the Boomer generation is dominant.

So sell the house, downsize and rent a smaller-cheaper place and invest in India and the emerging markets. Does that shake a few paradigms????????

Later,

Ima Boomer