Baby Boomers: Changing the Face of Retirement (rebates)
No commentsBy Gail Logan
”Old age” was never in the vocabulary of the boomer retirees. They live under a creed of despising the aging process throughout their history. Born as activists questioning everything, they combat inevitable aging and dispose antiquated retirement concepts embraced by their parents. Instead, boomers give more attention on how they are going to lace up rollerblades, download in their iPod’s, or skate into sophisticated, hip energetic adult communities. They called this as lifestyle communities created all over the country to cater to their whim.
The previous architecture director of Del Webb Corporation, Bill Parks foresees that the approaching great numbers of boomers retirees would delight and bewilder many developers. For a less period of time, adult communities will be springing up meeting the needs of active adults.
There are over 1,200 adult communities all over the country and some are on the stages of planning. The underlying purpose of building such communities remains constant. To give a place for empty nesters to rationalize after their kids leave them. The location, ambiance, size, and amenities are great, too far from what had already existed.
Home builders consider this as a very big trend. The senior housing councils for the National Association of Home Builders, Jeff Jenkins, announced that after the first set of age-qualified boomers availed more than 55 communities, it staggered the impacts since 2001. Boomers aged 55 years old and above accounted for about 1/5 (207,000) of the 1.1 million purchases of new homes in 2003. The adult active market accounted for approximately 51 billion dollars of sales in new homes. This is the main reason why adult communities are springing up in all places.
The generation of World War II in fact invented the retirement standard of living in various ways. They outlived their work and accumulated significant wealth to enjoy their golden years. Their prospective places are Florida, California and Arizona due to its sunny weather with a handy golf course and pool and a country club or community center where they could establish their new social functions.
However, the boomers have a different viewpoint according to the CEO and founder of ICAA (International Council on Active Aging) Colin Milner. ICAA is an adult active advocacy organization in British Columbia, particularly Vancouver.
Baby boomers have acquired so many life experiences that will soon be reflected in their adult communities. The only difference is that they have adopted what they have learned. Take for example fitness issues. Boomers parents didn’t incorporate fitness in their lifestyle considering it as a boring routine. So, the entire exercise trend was started by the baby boomers. It is not a turnoff for them because they have accessed it throughout their lives. Therefore, adopting it in their adult communities as a part of their lifestyle is not a big deal. Developers are creating adult communities reflecting their rich baby boomers history.
The major difference between the retirement villages of the first generation and adult active communities is location. Numerous surveys reveal surprising results. 2 out of 3 boomers wanted to live 100 miles away from where they lived and worked. The reason that motivated boomers to moving further does not mainly lie on the type of weather. But they chase their friends and family who have transferred in that location.
The phenomenon called as stay-at-home caught some developers off guard. They never realized that one day the resort-style adult communities near main urban centers will become lesser in demand. The Midwest and Northwest location was once the best seller. During the mid-90s one half of such communities are situated in Sunbelt. Washington D.C is not a very popular retirement location however there are dozens of adult active communities available wherein some people never believe it is possible. Today, three fourths of these communities are not within Sunbelt anymore. The price ranges 150,000 dollars and above for a town home having two bedrooms and two baths.
The boomers generation has been separated from its Me Generation. For ill or good, the history’s largest generation changes the faces of everything on the path they once lived. They exchange health care from entertainment, investing from childbirth, and education from fitness. It will hold no surprise that boomer retirees will reinvent the entire retirement village. Boomers regardless of their age still continue to make changes.
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Toys and the Baby Boomer Grandparent
By Gail Logan
Today, the baby boomers which once enjoyed their childhood on classic toys are now grandparents who pass the tradition to their grandchildren. They comprise a large number of the population that are spending their money on purchasing toys for their grandchildren. This trend gives toy manufacturers big profits.
According to the survey, people ages 50 years old above controls 70% of the United States wealth. Some consultants predicted that the population of grandparents will increase to 10 million in the succeeding four years. It was also revealed that grandparents spend 500 dollars each year per grandchild. Collectively, the total amount spent by grandparents on their grandchildren will be 30 billion dollars annually. Mostly, 25% of toy purchase comes from grandparents.
Every year, their group continuously increases. Those born during the 1957 period comprise the largest population of grandparents. It was recorded by demographers as the highest birthrate period. They shared common things like passing their childhood legacy to their grandchildren. It is also their way of bringing back old memories to stay young.
Kevin Curran, the Fisher-Price (Mattel subsidiary) general manager and senior vice-president stated that greater numbers of boomers becoming grandparents will contribute to their higher toy sales. It was because their toys are three generations older compared to other manufacturers. They even have toys that break sales records like the “Little People” play set which is 45 years older. Fisher-Price also created their “Loving Your Grandbaby” magazine to attract more buyers.
Boomers grandparents have their own categories for toys. They shows interests on learning toys which promote creativity in music and art, nostalgic toys like Snoopy Sniffer and Price’s Telephone, and modern electronic like the Kid-Tough Digital Camera which enables their grandchildren to keep in touch with them through email photos when they are on a vacation.
It’s not so surprising that Grandparents’ Rewards Club was launched by KB Toys. KB Toys in their recent reward clubs for grandparents, gives them 10% discounts on their items every Tuesdays. They have three area locations in Houston namely Almeda, Baybrook, and Willowbrook malls. They established such strategy because of knowing that boomer grandparents have already a strong segment on buying toys.
The strategy of Sababa Toys is bringing classic toys back once again. They develop nostalgic ways in attracting boomer grandparents. Their products include wood puzzles, Grandparents’ Treasure Chest scrapbook, and matching gifts like ‘Big Brain Academy’ stretching the brain power of kids and ‘Brain Age’ keeping the aging boomer’s memory sharp.
Baby boomers are coming on their grandparenthood stage with a unique history. Some even said that boomer’s parents are experiencing depressions caused by the World War II. As a result, they wanted to give everything to their children. But now, children and grandchildren of baby boomers have the best of everything. So, their reason for giving toys as gifts to their grandchildren is simply to create an unforgettable memory.
Boomers always appear contradictory. Some wanted their grandchildren to be more achievement-oriented while others give more emphasis on education. Baby boomers have gone to college with expansive horizons given a privilege idea that everything is possible. They instill this principle to their grandchildren. Baby boomers grandparents are once more technology savvy compared to previous generations. They are comfortable in purchasing modern electronic gadgets during this era.
Some boomer grandparents personally choose the toys they give. They realized that children today want Internet games, CDs and iPods. However, they don’t encourage the purchase of these technological advancements because they just get it anyway. As much as possible, boomers wanted their grandchildren to experience the same childhood they did. They explored the outside environment, played social games, and rode bikes with their family.
The parents of these kids are giving them toys that would help them in their education. But boomer grandparents want to infuse learning in a different way. They want their grandchildren to cultivate their awareness of the world’s beauty and global issues. Quality time is given to their grandchildren ensuring that they would enjoy the moment together. During birthdays and Christmas, they would buy educational toys like science project kits.
Baby boomers grandparents are the targeted buyers of toy industries. It is due to their money and care for their grandchildren. They are perhaps the group who spends their money powerfully throughout the history.
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In Support of University of Toledo College Republicans
By Roberto Garabell
The University of Toledo College Republicans are taking a lot of heat for a controversial move they are making to protect students against persecution by powerful leftist professors.
The UT College Republicans are compiling a list of openly left-wing professors who discriminate against conservative students.
The list wont have any force. It cant be used to prosecute professors. It cant be used to have them fired or even discliplined for abusing the power of their positions.
What it can be used for is to help conservative students avoid classes where vindictive and small-minded professors abuse their power to lower the grade point averages of conversative students. It can be used to protect students against having their future educational goals and future careers sabotaged by leftist activism.
This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Many years ago I was a young political science student and my educational goals were permanently sabotaged by a leftist professor who was unfortunately also the acting head of my department and my official academic advisor. The permanent department head was on an official leave of absence working for the Democratic party. I was obviously not attending one of the best universities which our nation has to offer.
My professor told the class that we were free to express our opinions and asked us to speak up. I pointed out that at the end of the Cuban missile crisis, we had no actual proof that the crates which were shipped back to the Soviet Union actually contained the missiles in question we had only photographs of the outside of the crates. That was too much for my professor and I was ejected from the department.
In retrospect, being kicked out of the political science department and being unable to complete my degree was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I have since gone on to found two successful businesses and have been able to effectively retire at a very young age. At the time, it did not seem so positive.
The far left has dominated colleges and universities across America for almost forty years, consistently stifling freedom of speech and of thought. Its time that Americans act to bring intellectual freedom back to these important institutions.
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Jose Martinez is the author of In Support of University of Toledo College Republicans and a frequent contributor to Political Humor.
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