News Bits: Boomers and Retirement

Some interesting boomer news we've come across recently:

Leah Hardy of the UK's Times Online wondered if her children will wait until their late 30's to have their own kids -- and how good a first-time grandmother she'll be at 78: "My fear ... and that of many people I know, is that when our time comes we will be too old to be involved grandparents." (the good news: according to Hardy, several studies indicate that women who have children relatively late live longer than most).

Daniel J. Kadlec, co-author of The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life, wrote in USA Today that that 60-ish boomers aren't as self-asorbed as their history would make you think:

... we are witnessing a grand transformation in this period of life, which has long been marked by withdrawal, entitlement and the pursuit of leisure. The emerging model embraces personal growth, giving back and continued employment. These hallmarks of the new retirement have the potential to reshape the economy and society to everyone's benefit.

A survey of boomers on what they'll seek in a retirement community found they're looking for smaller homes (or condos, or townhomes); natural beauty; climate; health and fitness options such as walking paths and pools; and ... shopping.

The Arizona Republic covers a Government Accountability Office study that says that mass boomer retirements won't significantly depress the stock market. Some have argued that as boomers liquidate their trillions in equity assets, stocks and mutual funds prices will be pushed down for decades. The GAO says that based on past retiree behavior, the slow retirement of the boomer generation over a 20+ year span, pension plan behavior, and expert opinion, stocks should feel little impact as boomers gradually liquidate them. Housing prices are another story ...