70 is the New 50 and Other Myths

BusinessWeek online includes an interview with William Byham, author of a new book about Boomers in retirement called 70: The New 50.

It's a clever title and he makes good points about older Boomers in the workplace.

But the title doesn't quite reflect today's Boomer Consumer, who is making age 50 and age 60 new. As Gail Sheehy, author of Sex and the Seasoned Woman, and Passages, puts it: "60 isn't the new 40, or 70 isn't the new 50. We're making 60 a new 60 and we'll make 70 a new 70."

Boomers are not stopping time, or going back in time, they're simply extending middle age until they are in our mid-80s or so.

Marketers will make mistakes if they think a 60-year-old Boomer wants to be 40 again. They want to be 60, but 60 their way -- healthier, wealthier and still working and consuming.