Mary Furlong & Associates' Boomer/Senior Market Report
Exploring the 10 Trends Powering the Age Boom
April 2007 - Vol. 4, No. 3
In This Issue:
- LETTER FROM MARY
- FEATURE ARTICLES
- WRAP-UP
- NEW MARKET FINDINGS
- SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
- JUST FOR FUN
- NEWSWIRE
Do you have a business plan or start-up venture
that shows strong potential for the 45+ market?
We invite you to enter the 2007 Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition. An integral part of the Third Annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, June 19, 2007, at Santa Clara University, this competition attracts entrepreneurs from around the world who are developing products and services for the boomer market. Two $10,000 prizes will be given in two separate categories -- General and Health. The Grand Prize Winners will be selected and announced at the Summit.
The Boomer Venture Summit represents the convergence of thought leaders from the nonprofit world, entrepreneurs and corporate venture capitalists in a unique, rich forum that supports innovative, emerging enterprises. Esteemed judges and speakers from North Castle Partners, AARP, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Highland Capital Partners, Johnson & Johnson and Mohr Davidow Ventures offer insight into market opportunities and resources. Media including ABC News and the Wall Street Journal will provide coverage.
For more information on the Business Plan Competition, visit http://www.boomerventuresummit.com/competition/. The deadline for entry is April 20, 2007. For more information and to register as an early bird for the June 19 Summit, please visit http://www.boomerventuresummit.com.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
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| Our student group with David Cunliffe (center), New Zealand's Minister of Immigration, Communications and Information Technology |
Well, we got by with a little help from our friends. I had previously served as a member of the New Zealand Investment Advisory Group and was able to learn much about the New Zealand economy. The country has about every passion one can enjoy -- amazing countryside, sailing with the best, Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs, digital marketing, neutraceuticals, health care and technology, social networking, the LOHAS marketplace (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), biotech, agritech and data visualization. New Zealand is a small country with only 4 million people (and 30 million sheep!), but it is one of the best places to take an idea and make it happen. Jenny Morel of No 8 Ventures told us about the Kiwis' love of "No 8 wire," a thin wire used for general purposes and the New Zealand version of duct tape. The idea is that, thanks to resourcefulness and ingenuity, a Kiwi can make anything (including a successful company!) with just a thin wire. Here are a few of our favorite "No 8 wire" companies:
- Rakon Limited focuses on frequency control technology based on quartz crystals.
- Orion Health provides clinical workflow and integration technology for the health care sector.
- iVistra Technology has developed the world's first system that mixes data from geographic information systems with operational and financial data so companies can get a sense of how their business is running in real-time.
It was a week of listening to passionate entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and government officials talk about what's next in entrepreneurship. No one understands the global marketplace better than the Kiwis. They play every day in this environment -- sourcing product in China, selling into the U.S. and Europe. We listened to Sam Morgan tell his story of how he made $500 million selling Trade Me, the NZ version of eBay. There is a creative community developing in Wellington that is unparalleled. It feels like Berkeley in the 60's, New York in the 70's and 80's, and Silicon Valley in the 90's. It has a buzz, a real buzz! Read The Flight of the Creative Class to understand why.
So, as exciting as our What's Next Conference last month in Chicago was -- and there are many insights in this newsletter about it -- what really gets the spirit to rise is the notion of empowering and inspiring young business leaders and the boomers who see the opportunity to dive in and make something happen. Thus, we want to point you to our next event in Silicon Valley, where we have assembled the best talent from the corporate, venture and entrepreneurial worlds to share best ideas for the Silicon Valley Boomer Business Plan Competition. The deadline for business plan applicants is April 20, so if you're interested in those two $10,000 prizes for your boomer business, find out more at http://www.boomerventuresummit.com/competition/index.htm.
This body is a bit tired from the 12-hour flight home, so I will hold off on reporting the best of the best from What's Next Chicago. One piece of good news, though: We won the contract for What's Next in D.C. next spring. So if you couldn't make Chicago, plan on a springtime visit to our nation's capital in 2008!
All the best,
Mary
Boomer Business Opportunity and Company Profile: Petplan
Natasha Ashton, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of pet insurance company Petplan, speaks to Caroline Goldman about soaring pet care costs, her cat Bodey, and how the Boomer Business Plan Competition helped her company succeed. "Some of the best advice we have received throughout the life of the business has come from people that we met while participating at the Boomer Business Plan Competition."
Tell us about your company, Petplan.
Petplan is the world's largest pet health insurance provider, recommended by more veterinarians and pet owners than any other. Chris, my ever suffering husband, co-founder and company president, and I decided to bring the Petplan brand to the U.S. after we experienced a $5,000 veterinary bill to treat our cat Bodey (luckily she's still with us, though after paying her bill we had to move apartments to make ends meet!).
Based in Philadelphia, Petplan USA was founded with one overall mission in mind: to improve quality of life for American pets by becoming the first pet health insurer to provide truly comprehensive coverage. To that end Petplan is the only U.S. pet insurance provider to cover congenital and hereditary diseases with no dollar or time limits per condition.
How does Petplan cater to the boomer market?
Extensive market research of U.S. pet owners revealed baby boomers to be an ideal audience for pet insurance. First of all, boomers are primarily responsible for driving the growth in demand for pet products as a whole in the U.S., spending over 40% above average pampering their pets, who in many cases are considered surrogate children. In addition, despite representing only 28% of the U.S. population, the boomer market cares for 39% of all pets.
Boomers on average have a higher discretionary income, so they have the financial ability to purchase pet insurance for their pets. Yet, as many boomers live on fixed incomes, they may be placed in a difficult situation if faced with an unexpectedly large veterinary bill, making the regular budgeting provided by pet insurance a welcome addition to their financial planning. Finally, leading-edge boomers aged 49 to 60 buy 20% more insurance products than average, indicating their risk aversion and a concern with preserving savings for the future.
When did you participate in the Boomer Business Plan Competition? Why did you decide to enter?
Chris and I participated in the Boomer Business Plan Competition back in 2004, and we were fortunate enough to be selected as one of the six finalists to present during the What's Next Conference in San Francisco. Having won the Wharton Business Plan Competition in May 2003, we decided to enter the Boomer Business Plan Competition as we had already identified the baby boomers as a broad market segment to which our product most appealed. Entering the competition seemed like a good opportunity to refine our plan further and explore the boomer market in more detail whilst gaining invaluable exposure to industry thought leaders such as Mary Furlong.
What was the competition like? What activities did you participate in? Who did you meet?
The competition itself was a grueling process with several rounds of judging culminating in the final competition in San Francisco. The final competition was the highlight of the competition as we had the opportunity to present to a live panel of judges. Up to that point the judges had only seen the written plan. Preparing for a live presentation was an entirely different challenge that allowed us to think of our business in an entirely different light.
Through the competition we met fellow contestants, seasoned entrepreneurs and industry thought leaders, many of whom went on to become our friends. In fact, some of the best advice we have received throughout the life of the business has come from people who we met while participating at the Boomer Business Plan Competition. Most importantly we got to meet Mary herself for the first time, and her guidance and advice have been an inspiration for us!
How did participating in the competition help your company succeed in the long run?
Participating in the competition was an incredibly valuable experience. The whole process was extremely thorough, and the feedback that we received at each stage from industry experts allowed us to refine our business plan and marketing strategy further. To this day we still draw on many of the learnings that we gleaned from the competition. We gained great insight into the burgeoning boomer market, which has guided our marketing efforts ever since.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
If an entrepreneur has a product that appeals to the boomer market and they are considering entering the Boomer Business Plan Competition, they should not hesitate to do so. It is a great learning opportunity that will provide them with invaluable insight into the boomer market and bring them up to speed with current trends. If they are fortunate enough to be selected as a finalist, they will get to interact with industry thought leaders and exchange ideas with fellow entrepreneurs. Ultimately they will be given the opportunity to shape their business in ways they could not even begin to imagine!
Visit Petplan online at gopetplan.com.
Meet the Judges of the Fourth Annual Boomer Business Plan Competition
June 19, 2007, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California
Ten lucky finalists will have the rare opportunity to learn personally from these top business minds.
Finalist Judges
Charles F. Baird, Jr., Managing Director and Founder, North Castle Partners
Charles F. Baird, Jr., North Castle's founder, has spent the last 25 years as an investor and consultant partnering with chief executive officers to improve their companies' operating performance and shareholder returns. Mr. Baird began studying the emerging Healthy Living & Aging trends more than 10 years ago with strategic partners at Bain & Company, Adams, Harkness & Hill, and Age Wave.
Mr. Baird has served as chairman of the board of directors for six North Castle portfolio companies and has served on the boards of directors of Octane Fitness and CRC Health and is a trustee of The Alger Fund and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Prior to founding North Castle, Mr. Baird served as a Managing Director of AEA Investors LLC and at Bain & Company, where, as an Executive Vice President and North American Management Committee member, he was involved in developing strategy and implementing profit improvement. Mr. Baird received an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jody Holtzman, Director of Strategic Analysis, AARP
Jody Holtzman is Director of Strategic Analysis for AARP, where he leads the strategic analysis group. He has over two decades of experience helping companies to develop and implement competitive business strategies and achieve their strategic market goals. He has worked with executives in Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations to turn market knowledge into actionable insight and strategy, and to design and put in place the organizational capabilities to succeed.
Previously, Jody was President of Strategy Dynamics Group, a consulting firm specializing in competitive strategy. As a Director of Strategy and Planning, and Project Leader of the Market Intelligence Network of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Jody built and led a team in the U.S. and U.K., and directed and regularly presented insights, business implications and recommendations to the global leadership team. Prior to that, Jody was Vice President of Consulting for FutureBrand, where he helped clients develop and implement brand strategies and new corporate positionings. He has a graduate degree in international relations and political economy from the University of Chicago.
Aileen Lee, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Aileen Lee joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1999. Her primary areas of investment are in consumer and Internet technologies, wireless services, and energy and environmental technologies. Aileen has worked closely with the teams and boards at Good Technology, Tellme, Segway, Zazzle, Friendster, Blue Nile, Miasolé, Genomic Health and other stealth ventures yet to be announced.
Prior to joining KPCB, Aileen worked at Gap Inc. in various operating roles. These included product management and marketing for Gap Online, as special assistant to Gap Inc.'s CEO, and in business development. She has also worked for Odwalla and for The North Face in brand and product marketing. Aileen began her career at Morgan Stanley in technology mergers & acquisitions. She has a Bachelor of Science from MIT and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Aileen is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and serves on the board of HYSTA (Hua Yuan Science and Technology Association).
Emilio Pardo, Chief Brand Officer, AARP Services
Emilio Pardo is a senior executive with over 17 years of development, management and strategic communications experience with nonprofit, corporate and governmental organizations. Most recently, he has been responsible for new product and market channel development, product licensing, and joint ventures for AARP Services, Inc., and for AARP's strategic alliances, including The Home Depot.
Mr. Pardo established and led AARP's cross-disciplinary Innovation Strike Force throughout the summer and fall of 2005, producing a strategic vision and roadmap for the boomer marketplace to guide the innovation required for AARP to become a dominant, best-of-class player serving boomer needs. Before joining AARP, Mr. Pardo held executive positions in business and partnership development, corporate reputation management, branding and public affairs. Most recently he was a senior executive for Discovery Communications, Inc., where he was responsible for strategic business development spanning of all 14 broadcast networks including Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and FitTV.
Bijan Salehizadeh, MD, Partner, Highland Capital Partners
Based in Highland's Menlo Park office, Bijan focuses on healthcare investments and specializes in medical devices and biotechnology. Prior to joining Highland, Bijan spent several years in marketing and strategic planning at Medtronic Vascular, a world leader in medical technology. Before Medtronic, Bijan was the Director of Business Development for HealthCentral, a venture-backed start-up that went public in 1999. During his medical training, Bijan conducted research in minimally invasive heart valves and left ventricular assist devices, and his work was published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals. He also served as a researcher at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, where he investigated coronary artery disease. Bijan also previously served as a member of the Kauffman Fellows program.
Bijan holds an AB in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, an MS in Health Policy from Columbia University, an MD from Columbia University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Robert G. Stein, President & CEO, American Society on Aging
Robert G. Stein is a leader in nonprofit association management and brings to his new position of President & CEO of ASA more than 30 years of experience with a range of organizations in healthcare and philanthropy. Stein most recently served as Executive Director of the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives (AAOE), the practice management partner organization of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President for Northern California Grantmakers, a regional association of foundations who join with foundations throughout California to award $1 billion in grants annually to nonprofit organizations.
Stein holds a master's degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree in public relations from the San Jose State University School. ASAE named Stein a Fellow in 1992, recognizing his talents for innovative and dynamic leadership in association management.
Brad Vale, Ph.D., DVM, Vice President, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation
Dr. Vale is a Vice President in Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC), Johnson & Johnson's venture capital subsidiary. JJDC invests broadly in innovative healthcare companies.
Dr. Vale completed his PhD at Iowa State University in Biomedical Engineering and his DVM at Washington State University and has published in the area of medical device development. He was at Ethicon, a J&J subsidiary, working on preclinical studies, new business development, and in a coronary artery bypass graft spin-out company, Warren Labs, from 1982 to 1989 and joined J&J's Corporate Office of Science and Technology in 1989. Dr. Vale's medical device R&D experience included blood-compatible polymers, lasers, microsurgery, novel tissue closure methods, and adhesion prevention. He moved into venture capital, joining Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation in 1992 and in July of 1997 established JJDC's Silicon Valley office and has invested in over 30 companies for JJDC.
Vance Vanier, MD, Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures
Vance Vanier brings to MDV a diverse blend of healthcare, industry and international experiences. He focuses on life science and online health investments. In addition to investing, Vance also works to develop MDV's life science companies, serving in virtual CMO and business development roles. He is a member of the clinical faculty in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford Medical Center. He received an MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and did his residency training at UCSF and Highland Hospital. Prior to joining MDV he received an MBA from Stanford University, worked in corporate development at Nektar Therapeutics, and traveled to Kosovo after the war to work with the WHO in creating the nation's first ambulance system. Vance did his undergraduate work at Stanford, where he received dual bachelor's degrees with honors.
Highlights from the 2007 What's Next Boomer Business Summit, Chicago
Boomer Business Opportunities
By Sandra Timmerman, Assistant VP and Director, MetLife Mature Market Institute
Each year, the What's Next Conference gathers speakers on the cutting edge with fresh information. I'm constantly amazed at the many business opportunities highlighted at the conference, and at the number of entrepreneurs who are starting businesses to fill market niches with their innovative ideas and products. For example, we know that as boomers age there is growing interest in keeping mentally fit. Now, several businesses such as Posit Science and CogniFit are helping older people maintain and enhance their brain power. And with so many boomers reaching retirement age but not knowing where to turn for advice, there is more research available on attitudes about retirement readiness, use of financial services, and preferences for advertising and marketing approaches. The research presented at this panel, including the case study of a new business that provides one-stop shopping for boomers looking to prepare for retirement, provided me with insights that help in my long-range planning as well as my day-to-day work.
Health, Beauty & Wellness Panel
By Robin Raff, President, Boomer Business & Beyond, Inc.
The Health, Beauty & Wellness panel revealed some fascinating findings about boomers and their concerns around health and wellness. There were several common themes among the topics presented by each of the speakers. Steve French, Executive VP and Managing Partner of the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), set the stage by sharing his quantitative survey findings conducted among a panel of 3,000 survey recipients in 2007. We learned that one of the biggest fears of boomers, just behind their fear of running out of money, is their fear of aging. But not just aging in general -- they state a specific concern around aging: 55% fear the loss of their mental/brain capacity. Boomers seem to be very aware of their mental acuity, as 2 out of 5 boomers feel that they are so stressed out that it affects their ability to think clearly, and 9 out of 10 boomers feel that they can make changes in their daily lives that will improve their brain fitness.
We learned from Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., President and CEO of Quantum Intech, Inc., that boomers are correct about stress affecting the brain and one's ability to think clearly. Ms. Rozman shared key insights on this topic, based on over 15 years of research on stress, the heart and mental coherence. She then presented Quantum Intech's emWave Personal Stress Reliever, a handheld biofeedback device that provides real-time feedback on your stress level and teaches you how to manage your emotions and lower your stress. The emWave might be just the boomers' answer to their needs of self-empowerment, stress reduction, and a desire to maintain heart and brain health while aging. We were all reminded through Ms. Rozman's presentation that while we experience external stressors, especially the "sandwich generation boomers" who still care for children while caring for aging parents and managing their own lives, we can and must manage our emotions for optimal health as we age.
We also saw the connection of Mr. French's research findings when Dmitriy Kruglyak, CEO of Trusted.MD, presented the vision and features of his healthcare blogging community. The research revealed that boomers are more likely than younger generations to research specific illnesses, search for information on prescription drugs, and to stay abreast of the latest medical developments. Mr. Kruglyak supported these findings through his experience and also reminded us that the information on the Internet is only as good as its source. Trusted.MD is being developed to become what Mr. Kruglyak called the "Switzerland" of healthcare information, so that boomers can have access to unbiased tools and data as needed to best manage their health and their health care. The panel revealed that we are heading into very exciting times in health care as both the tools and the boomer segment move the industry to increased self-empowerment and transparency.
Lifestyles Panel
By Karen Orton Katz, Consultant and Principal, Internet Strategies Group
The lifestyles panel covered topics as far-ranging as keeping boomers engaged in the corporate workforce and finding the "right-size" lifestyle. In the workforce, Marie Philippe noted how large corporations are recrafting their policies to keep boomers as key contributors, with flexible hours, flexible locations, and full-time to part-time status.
In the housing market, Ciji Ware, author of Rightsizing Your Life, points out that boomers are not all going to settle into one style of housing or life. Some will move to smaller homes, others will move in with friends (co-housing) and still others will seek multiple locations -- to find a housing strategy that fits their passions.
Gail Sheehy's latest book addresses the passion that boomer women are seeking in this stage of life. She noted that when Passages was written 30 years ago she stopped describing lifestages at the age of 50. How times have changed: now 50+ represents a whole new series of stages and invigoration.
Kathleen Hall of the Stress Institute notes that along with change comes stress. Kathleen's work is to help boomers find balance in their life as they seek answers to lifestyle changes. She notes that while this is a personal issue, corporations are also seeking answers on how to help their boomers reduce stress and remain in the workforce.
Beatrice Spaine from Electronic Arts knows a thing or two about how boomers are actually reducing stress through their passion for playing games and socializing online. Pogo, EA's casual gaming brand, engages more than 12 million adults playing online games including Bingo, word games, puzzles and card games. Most of their audience is women and many are over 50. Why do they play? For fun, stress relief, to meet and socialize online.
Lastly, Carol Orsborn of Fleishman-Hillard cited the facts about women and the decision-making and spending power they wield. Carol notes that boomer women make most of the major household decisions -- where to live, where to vacation and what to drive -- not to mention the money they spend on clothes, entertainment and other "life necessities."
The boomer lifestyle market is a fascinating segment that should not be ignored. There is not a "one size fits all" approach, and companies that want to target boomers need to consider which segment of the audience they really want to communicate with. And lastly, there is no crystal ball, but you can always count on the fact that there are new rules being written every day.
Finance Panel
By Ellen Rogin, President, Strategic Financial Designs, Inc.
As the president of a wealth management firm, I learned a lot about the market that I serve. Steve Zaleznick, President and CEO of Longevity Alliance, shared fascinating research that more than half of baby boomers surveyed expect to work past age 65, while only 13% of current retirees have done so. In addition, pre-retirees expect to work until age 67, but the average actual retirement age is 59. Many baby boomers are set to be way off in their planning.
From Vicky Thomas, President of Thomas & Associates, I learned that the women's market is tragically underserved in the current financial services arena. A huge number of women are controlling the financial and banking decisions in their households, and new products and services need to be developed to speak to their needs.
I am so glad that I attended the What's Next Conference. Hearing from the thought leaders about marketing to boomers is invaluable to my business planning.
Boomer Entrepreneurs
By Mark Miller, President, 50+Digital LLC
Most boomers say they intend to keep working well past traditional retirement age, and AARP reports there already are five million 50+ self-employed individuals in the U.S. Our panelists looked at the types of businesses boomers will launch, and offered tips on how to get going. Finally, we examined start-up opportunities serving the boomer market.
As moderator of the panel, my panelists included:
- Mary Furlong, Ed.D., CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates, and author of Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace
- Amy Hilliard, CEO, The ComfortCake Company, LLC
- Jeff Williams, Chief Business Start-Up Coach, Bizstarters
Mary Furlong noted that some of the best start-up opportunities are in health care, where venture capitalists are investing heavily. Amy Hilliard and Jeff Williams pointed boomer entrepreneurs toward angel investors as an alternate source of capital. "They don't require the same payout as a venture capitalist. They look at track record and your customers," said Williams. "Angels provide five times the capital that VCs do."
You can find a more detailed write-up about the panel on my website at http://www.50plusdigital.com/blog.
The Pig in the Python Speaks:
Ecumen Age Wave Study Takes Largest Ever Look at Minnesota Boomers and Their Views on Aging
Minnesota, February 20, 2007 - Looking ahead as seniors, Minnesota baby boomers (age 42-60) want more public policy, personal finance and technological options to help them maintain independence and stay in their own home even if it means raising their taxes. These are among the multitude of findings in the Ecumen Age Wave Study, the largest ever study of Minnesota baby boomers. The study provides boomers' views on longevity and images of aging, words used around aging, paying for care, where and how boomers want to live as seniors, retirement (which most aren't going to do), use of technology (want more of it) and civic engagement (will be involved).
The study is available at http://www.ecumen.org/boomerreport.html.
National Center for Health Statistics' National Health Interview Survey
Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data from the January-September 2006 National Health Interview Survey
Mary Furlong’s New Silver Marketplace Community
Silver Marketplace is a new online community by Mary Furlong & Associates, hosted on Trusted.MD social networking platform. The social networking space is designed to interactively engage boomer marketplace leaders, offering free member services such as personal blogs, professional profiles and reputation management. Find out more or visit Silver Marketplace now.
Stress Relief Technologies to Revitalize Body, Mind and Spirit
By Deborah Rozman, Ph.D.
Baby boomers are one of the most stressed-out generations. According to a 2006 study from the Natural Marketing Institute, four out of five boomers feel that relieving their stress would increase their quality of life. Created by boomers for boomers, the handheld emWave Personal Stress Reliever® and the emWave® PC Stress Relief System from HeartMath® are breakthroughs in personal stress reduction technology.
The emWave Personal Stress Reliever (PSR) and emWave PC Stress Relief System are designed to prevent, manage and reverse the negative effects of stress. They essentially mirror your emotional state by reading your heart rhythms, and give real-time feedback that enables you to relieve stress, reset your inner balance and get back "in the flow."
The emWave Personal Stress Reliever (www.emwave.com) is small enough to fit in your purse or pocket. Weighing just 2.2 ounces, emWave PSR reads your heart rhythms through its built-in finger sensor and gives immediate feedback, reflecting your emotional state through changing colored lights and sound.
emWave PC Stress Relief System is a software and hardware program that also collects data from your heart through a finger or ear clip sensor that plug into your computer. You use it at your desk while dealing with finances, emails, phone calls, and before meetings or projects to get you "in the zone." It translates the information from your heart rhythms into graphics displayed on your computer monitor. As you use the Quick Coherence® technique learned from the tutorial, you watch your heart rhythms change in real time and your emotional state improve.
Dr. Deborah Rozman is President and CEO of Quantum Intech Inc., the parent company of HeartMath, a cutting-edge performance company providing a range of services, products and technology to improve health and well-being, while dramatically reducing stress and boosting performance and productivity.
107 Years Old and Still Blogging
Olive Riley, a 107-year-old Australian, began telling the stories of her life through a blog last month. This month she chronicles the time she took a job baking bread on a sheep farm -- without knowing the first thing about baking!
Congratulations to Mollie Katzen
Author of Moosewood Cookbook, for winning a 2007 James Beard Foundation Special Honoree Award for the Cookbook Hall of Fame!
This award is given to a cookbook that has had a significant and enduring impact on the way we cook and understand food.
Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen (Ten Speed Press, 1977)
In 1997, when Mollie Katzen created a book about the food served at Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, vegetarianism was still an exotic way of life to most Americans. However, there was something about Katzen's hand-lettered recipes and charming drawings that captured the attention and affection of both vegetarians and omnivores. Since then, Katzen has written eight more books, including three for children, and revised Moosewood Cookbook in 1999 to reflect new ideas on healthy eating. Original or updated, Moosewood Cookbook is a treasured possession of the many thousands who love it for proving that meatless eating can be a pleasure.
Visit Mollie online or find out more about the awards.
UC Berkeley Re-Launches OLLI
After more than a year's hiatus, University of California Berkeley is ready to re-launch its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Susan E. Hoffman, currently Director of San Francisco State University's Osher Institute, has agreed to direct Berkeley's new efforts to provide innovative, evolving educational programs for people over 50. The Institute's stimulating and provocative courses, forums and interest groups are designed to challenge and inform as well as to animate creative expression.
JWT Worldwide announces launch of JWT BOOM: Boomers & Beyond
New boomer division announces strategic partnership with ThirdAge Inc.
Lobbyists for elderly vow to push healthcare up U.S. poll agenda
In spite of the focus on the war in Iraq, no candidate in the U.S. elections next year will be allowed to escape the thorny domestic issue of healthcare reform, according to the AARP.
Mid-life cholesterol dip may signal mental decline
While a high total cholesterol level in middle age is a risk factor for developing dementia later in life, a drop in cholesterol after middle age may also be a sign of later cognitive problems, a study shows.
Baby boomers are tough customers
The financial services industry is not effectively marketing its products and services to baby boomers and faces a huge obstacle in keeping them as customers, because they aren't loyal to financial institutions.
U.N. report predicts older people to triple by 2050
The number of people 60 years of age and older may nearly triple to 2 billion by 2050, accounting for nearly a quarter of the expected 9.2 billion global population, a U.N. report warned on Tuesday.
Cell phones for boomers and parents
A San Diego technology company has come out with a cell phone for baby boomers and their parents who have rejected trendy smart cell phones as too complicated.
ASA announces new president and CEO
Robert Stein Named ASA's New President and CEO. Mr. Stein is a leader in nonprofit association management and brings to his new position more than thirty years of experience with a range of organizations in healthcare and philanthropy. He succeeds Gloria Cavanaugh, who recently retired after thirty-one years at the helm of ASA.
New podcast series hosted by Pamela Wallin tackles issues facing boomers approaching retirement
Financial Group has launched its ongoing podcast series about Canada's new retirement reality.
Mattress firms cater to rich boomers
Mattress makers are betting that wealthy-but-weary baby boomers are willing to pay plenty for a solid night's sleep.
Boomer volunteers demanding higher-level work
The days of older adult volunteers stuffing envelopes and answering phones may be numbered as baby boomers demand more-challenging work.
Baby boomers in bad shape
Study shows boomers in poorer health than pre-World War II group at same age
Boomers' next move
Tips on starting that business you always dreamed of
Gap shutting down Forth & Towne chain
Retailer Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS - news), seeking to focus on problems at its two main apparel chains, said on Monday it would shut down its newest chain, Forth & Towne, a move that will affect about 550 employees.
Read more articles here.
Boomer/Senior Market Report
Published by Mary Furlong & Associates
3527 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
#128, Lafayette, CA 94549
Telephone: 925-283-7698
http://www.maryfurlong.com