How Facebook Can Close the Generation Gap
May 18, 2012
For years, social media was seen as a new toy for the young and hip. But as Facebook’s record-setting IPO has shown, social media is a cultural and economic behemoth. For young and old alike, social is the thing. And with a global population that will include two billion over age 60 in the next couple of decades, even Facebook will respond to the aging population marketplace.
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Plenty of new data shows adults and…
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Reframe the 'Growth vs. Austerity' Debate
May 11, 2012
From Athens, Greece, to Madison, Wisconsin, the common theme today is said to be “austerity versus growth.” In reality, we’re hearing little about what’s driving the growth side and a great deal about the disasters to come from cutting benefits. This dichotomy is perhaps most pronounced in Europe, where the “austerity versus growth” headlines rage. The terms “austerity” and “growth” have appeared within ten words of each other 380 times in major world publications in the past week alone, according to a Lexis Nexis search.
The discussion of these concepts continues…
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Class of 2012: Don't Even Think About Retiring at 60
May 03, 2012
Congratulations, Class of 2012! The world is your oyster!
Then again, maybe not. The Wall Street Journal suggests that you should neither “try to be great” nor “use your prodigious talents to mess things up.” And The New York Times thinks that your $1 trillion in student loans will keep you out of the housing market for years to come. Sorry about that.
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As we celebrate your college graduation, the…
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A New Fiscal Challenge for the Dutch
April 26, 2012
The aging Dutch population is dramatically shifting the demographic balance of a country with a below-replacement birthrate of 1.7. Yet the lack of fundamental structural reforms is an underlying reason for the fiscal difficulties facing the Netherlands, one of Europe’s most stable economies.
Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal are already at their fiscal edge, and the French elections show just how polarized France has become, especially toward European austerity. Now, the Netherlands is threatening to join the ranks of the other “Club Med” countries of…
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How to Stop the ‘Age Warfare’ in America
April 21, 2012
It’s time to rethink what it means to age in America. Why? For starters, take a gander at a few eye-opening fiscal facts.
For every dollar we spend on a child in America, we spend $2.40 on someone who is over 65. If the $68 billion education budget seems generous, it pales in comparison to the $480 billion annual price tag for Medicare. According to the Brookings Institute, this lopsided spending is only going to increase in the coming years, “rising to 7 to 1 if [we look] just at the federal budget.”
That assumes, though, that we’re operating on…
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The Health Cost that Can Ruin the Economy
April 11, 2012
Now that Santorum has suspended his campaign, Romney and Obama are setting their sights on one another. For both candidates, the growing “senior” demographic is becoming an ever-more coveted prize. As they market themselves to the AARP and other voting blocs, Medicare is proving to be the decisive issue.
Obama claims that a Romney presidency will end Medicare as we know it. And Romney contends that the reforms within the “marvelous” Ryan budget are exactly what is needed to save Medicare. Who makes the better sell of his Medicare vision may prove victorious come…
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