Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing The Way We Think About Work, Community, and the Good Life by Chris Farrell

A thoughtful look at Baby Boomers from an economic point of view. Chris Farrel is a senior economics contributor at Marketplace on American Public Media’s radio programs.

This book has so much food for thought and is an optimistic look at what boomers can look forward to, an engaged, vibrant, and productive time of life…if we choose to. Here are a couple of key quotes.

“Older workers are going to change the workforce as profoundly as women did.” (Deborah Banda senior advisor AARP.

“The changes they are making in the work place will benefit all generations, not just older workers.” Eugene Steuerle, economist at Urban Institute

The author sees Boomers staying in the workforce longer which will benefit themselves and others, including the economy. The difference is that these folks will often desire flexibility in their lives which will require employers to be creative in how they deal with the aging workforce. But the other single most important economic incentive for Boomers is the added benefit of delaying collecting Social Security.

Social Security accounts for some 55% of the total wealth among Boomers but 79% for those in the bottom fourth of the wealth spectrum. Workers with an average salary of $30,000 a year can nearly double their annual retirement income from Social Security by putting in an extra eight years form ages 62 to 70. Even delaying filing for one or two years pays off.

That thought alone was worth the read for me.

This is an inspirational book looking at many of the issues that Baby Boomers face and also the economy must address in the coming years. He looks at how minor modifications (universal design mostly) can keep the productivity of the aging workforce on the job and providing that historical knowledge that is so beneficial to our workforce. I believe the benefits of multi generations in the workplace far outweigh any negatives. We need to look at what each generation brings to the table each day and what they can teach each other.

If you are a Baby Boomer or work with people in mid-life career changes, I highly recommend this book.