Can Boomers Lead an Elder Revolution?

Reader Comments

Back to blog

facebook links 'healthcare' horrors-murder boomers,mark of beast

Yesterday's facebook links about 'healthcare horrors', incl. the plan to murder the American baby boomers - esp. women- and create the initial mark of the... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pretribonly/message/8875

Cindy of WY 12:20PM April 04, 2010

I would like Roszak to be correct in his predictions, but I'm not quite ready to embrace his halcyon vision of the coming elder culture, inspired by Boomer activism. From where he sits as a tenured professor, I believe he's sadly out of touch with the extent to which many Boomers today are confronting systemic age discrimination and social marginalization. Maggie Kuhn is a great role model for Boomers to follow, but, alas, she is gone. No single Boomer personality has emerged who has the vision and communication skills to inspire Boomers toward collective action, to force society to embrace age inclusiveness in all its ramifications. This is the focus of my article last week in Huffington Post: http://tinyurl.com/yz59yhh.

Brent Green of CO 10:54AM November 02, 2009

I was an only child. My husband and I are married 22 yrs but were unable to have any children. Who is going to take care of me? All this financial planning and life insurance is great but there should be better ways to manage it. Looks like I'll be rewriting my will shortly and have no idea who to leave things to... maybe a charity or a scholarship fund at my high school or college?

As to retirement in Florida, now I have to be afraid of Chinese wallboard polluting those condos that were remodeled after 2005 Hurricanes! OMG, the challenges never cease to amaze me!

Dee of MA 9:58PM October 31, 2009

I'm sure that the Baby Boomers will continue to give God the glory in their senior years the way they did so well, in their youth, during the 1960s and 70s.

I'm sure God will continue to bless America as a result of it.

Shane of TX 9:56PM October 31, 2009

The article quotes Roszak as saying: "Age offers us the opportunity to detach from the competitive, high-consumption priorities that dominated us on the job and in the marketplace." I couldn't agree more, although perhaps it's not "age" but rather status as a "retiree" that causes people to consume less. My research shows that retirees consume (i.e., spend) much less that many of the retirement planning "experts" think. That's why I believe that the retirement industry (insurance companies, investment advisers, mutual fund companies, personal finance magazines, etc) are unnecessarily scaring people into thinking they'll never be able to retire. I hope aging baby boomers will return to their youthful idealism. It can't happen soon enough.

Jonathan Edelfelt, author of Who Said You Need Millions? Retirement Strategies for the Rest of Us.

www.whosaidyouneedmillions.com

Jonathan Edelfelt of TX 4:18PM October 31, 2009

Retirement was not created by God. Just because you get to a socially prescribed age is not a reason to stop being productive and start becoming a leech.

Workers are encouraged to plan financially for retirement. No one is telling those who are healthy enough to work that they also need to plan for balanced lifelong growth and productivity.

Traditional retirement is no longer sustainable and is going the way of the dodo bird, and not a moment too soon.

Barbara Morris of CA 1:27PM October 31, 2009

Entitlements are necessary because ageism in our society demands it.

To ensure our freebies, we have the political clout and some of us leverage it by influencing our children to vote for our candidates.

Now, if you eliminate ageism, then a different dynamiec will occur but that is so unlikely to happen that I must agree with Mr. Roszak and Ms. Kuhn that our role is to create new paradigms while the young subsidize our efforts through entitlements.

By the way, just a short note on AARP. I have a bone to pick with them. They allow Lenscrafters to jack up the price of their glasses when a senior flashes the AARP card. They better wise up because, frankly, they can be replaced.

Angelo of NJ 11:57AM October 29, 2009

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to blog

The Best Life

The Best Life

Contributing editor Philip Moeller writes about the people, ideas and programs that provide "best life" retirement solutions and opportunities.

advertisement

EASY RETIREMENT CALCULATOR

Our retirement readiness calculator will provide a rough idea of how long your retirement savings and income will last.


Latest Video

advertisement