A trio of skeptics questioned the S-AGE as to whether we really must work longer and later in our lives in order to avert serious economic and societal disasters in the U.S.

Q. How late in life do you think most Boomers will "have" to work?

If they wish to maintain reasonably current standards of living, most will have to work well into their late '60's. Most certainly they will have to work beyond age 62, their earliest eligibility age for Social Security. The Federal Reserve Board recently (2007) came out with new statistics for Boomers' average net worth (excluding home equity). Read on:

Bottom 25% of Boomers: $2,504
Middle 50% of Boomers: $42,866
Top 25% of Boomers: $229,560

Can most Boomers really afford to retire especially considering the probability of longer lifetimes? Can we afford to support them for 20-30 or 40 years in so-called retirement? To paraphrase a major network's tag line: "I report. You decide."

Q. What have you read lately that confirms your theory about a coming labor crunch?

First of all, I don't theorize. I predict based on innate wizardly savvy. But, if you want a source to verify what I have been preaching for years, here are a few excerpts from the latest (2007) research study by Deloitte that chronicled the labor crunch approaching the U.S.A.

"In the public sector, countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United States could lose more than a third of their government employees by 2010.

While 42 percent of students in China earn undergraduate degrees in science and engineering, only 5 percent of U.S. students do so.

The United States sees a shortage of more than 1 million nurses by the year 2012.

In the United States, only 70 percent of high school students graduate, and only 32 percent leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges.

Job disenchantment is estimated to have a US$350 billion annual cost in the United States."

Can the U.S. afford to ignore the loss of so many workers at the same time it gears up to compete in an entirely new but older world? Read the Deloitte study.

Q. Where do you get - and how do you verify - 'hard' information?

I like Spherion's Emerging Workforce Studies, The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor and Department of Census' reports. I read Pew Hispanic Research, The Motley Fool, The Economist, SHRM and AARP studies, various Blogs and RSS feeds dedicated to the mature workforce and to our concerns about economics, lifestyles and aging. This past month I read two books that were well worth my time and that matter a lot to an aging America. The first was: "YOU: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Dr. Mehmet Oz (The real Wizard of Oz) and his writing partner, Dr. Michael Roizen, a wizard of the MD variety. Staying healthy, living longer is filled with good advice for those who would like to work and live long beyond so-called traditional retirement. The second book I've just finished reading is "Microtrends" by Mark Penn. To quote Bill Gates – "Penn has a keen mind, and a fascinating sense of what makes America and the world tick, and you see it on every page."

Q. You claim that "work itself" can help to maintain healthy brain function. Where is the proof?

You have heard the saying "if you don't use it, you lose it." Turns out this statement is true for the brain as well as for other body parts and work is one way to continue to motivate our brains to learn and re-learn. Beyond "using" our brains in a work environment, actually working on brain function is important to continued brain health. Please take a look at www.positscience.com. Posit Science Corporation develops science-based brain health programs that enhance cognitive performance. Its exercises are based on the brain's ability to "rewire" through intensive, repetitive and progressively challenging activity. Posit Science was named "Best Small Company" by the American Society on Aging and was selected as one of the "medical breakthroughs of the year" by CNBC.

Cognitive decline, on a grand scale,
is a recipe for economic and societal disaster.
Work helps us overcome depression and loneliness, two diseases of old age that are increasingly linked to diminished mental acuity as age overtakes youth.

What is new at Ageless in America?

We are pleased to feature our newest product, a set of 40 Flashcards - Overcoming Myths About Older Workers. Two public and private sector organizations liked it so much that they purchased sets even before they were printed. We think it is an excellent tool to help overcome opinions and perceptions about older workers that are so deeply ingrained in myths we ourselves created! We hope you will agree. For more information including how to order, visit www.AgelessInAmerica.com.

Carleen MacKay & Brad Taft
info@AgelessInAmerica.com

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