Demography is Destiny, Again

Peter Francese, founder of American Demographics magazine (now owned by Advertising Age), has a long and fact-filled story in this week's Ad Age called The Changing Face of the U.S. Consumer.

If you're a marketer, you better read it. Especially if you're under the age of 40.

That's because it will tell you the important things you need to know about the future.

It's funny, of all the prognostications we see about Boomers and the future, only one is accurate: In 2028, twenty years hence, all of those Boomers who are still with us will be between the ages of 64 and 82.

The "age wave" rolls onward.

Francese's article has far too much to summarize here. So go read it.

Getting Boomers from Here to Medicare

In this article, Bob Moos of the Dallas Morning News does his usual effective job of reporting on the issues facing older Boomers who are no longer covered by an employer or group health insurance plan, but are too young to qualify for Medicare coverage.

As more and more Boomers find themselves in this situation, the marketplace appears to be developing products to address this problem (by making it a business opportunity for them). Private insurance companies are creating health care plans specifically to cover those ages 50-64, who are not yet old enough to get Medicare, and don't have coverage through their employer.

We expect to see more marketplace solutions develop for the problems, er, opportunities, that come with a larger and larger older population. By 2028, twenty short years from now, we will have twice as many people over the age of 65 living in America as we have now.

Companies that understand the opportunities that will create are the ones who will prosper.