Table of Contents

1. Notes from the White House Conference on Aging

2. Civic Ventures' Purpose Prize

3. Cool Career #117: Non-Traditional Funeral Planning

4. At Year's End: Sound Advice on Docs to Keep/Pitch
   

It didn't exactly make front page headlines, but a once a decade event took place in Washington this week when 1,200 delegates from 50 states came together for the White House Conference on Aging. The theme this year was“The Booming Dynamics of Aging: From Awareness to Action,” a reflection of the fact that first wave of baby boomers turn 60 in 2006. The purpose of the conference, according to press materials, “is to make recommendations to the President and Congress to help guide national aging policies for the next ten years and beyond.” Delegates did their job, meeting to consider and vote on more than 72 resolutions and narrow the field down to 50. Mr. Bush was out of town, the first president who did not address the conference since it began in 1961 when JFK was in office. Medicare and a stronger Social Security came out of the first WHCoA.

Howard attended the conference on press credentials and here are some of his observations:

As I walked the exhibit hall, it was deja vu all over again: a tale of two mindsets, two parallel views of reality: 1. the same old (mostly bad) news of aging as decline, with inevitable health and financial consequences. The focus remains on safety and security for older people, and how technology – the exhibit was packed with innovations in assistive living – and our government (don't hold your breath) can help us stay alive and enjoy our final years of life. 2. Aging as opportunity, time to imagine, clarify and plan for the most productive, creative, meaningful years, e.g. The Workplace of the Future track, expert testimony by Ken Dychtwald, and a mini-conference on Creativity and Aging, championed by Gene Cohen, author of The Creative Age, and others. Their resolution – support for the arts for older Americans – didn't make the cut.

Glance through the resolutions, and you'll see more of the same emphasis on the problems of aging, at the expense of a view that, to my way of thinking, could solve many of those problems. When the delegates were done, three of the 50 resolutions they passed recognized and supported potential and productivity of our age group:

• fighting age discrimination

• training and incentives for older workers

• a national strategy for promoting new and meaningful volunteer opportunities and civic engagements
  
  Personally, the WHCoA was a great professional networking opportunity, in the best sense of the term. You get to learn from colleagues on the front lines what is working, what isn't, and what they are doing about it. It was good to compare notes with Paul Kleyman, editor of Aging Today, the American Society on Aging magazine, Abbie Trafford, health columnist for the Washington Post, Steve Wing of CVS Pharmacy, and Ron Kauffman of Senior Lifestyles Radio, to name a few. I truly believe with Trich Nhat Hanh that “Community will be the Guru of the Future.”
  
  For some trenchant commentary, look to the blogs, for example, www.whcoa.net created and sponsored by Lithium, Inc., a technology company, and Mary Furlong & Associates. (Furlong is founder of SeniorNet and Third Age). One poster offered: “The WHCoA strategy must be driven by our need to have workers extend their worklives to support the economy, to support their personal lifestyle, and to reduce the cost of entitlement programs ... work issues must be a central basis for developing a realistic aging strategy for our Nation.” Amen!
  

  As I departed one evening, Marvin Hamlish was playing “Young at Heart,” and nobody had yet explained ya-la dancing – one of the fitness activities offered. Be the first person to tell me what it is (howard@2young2retire.com) and get a 2young2retire t-shirt.
  

  One burning question remains: How to convince 77 million baby boomers to get involved in community service? The Corporation for National and Community Service announced it will launch a multi-year volunteer recruitment campaign of PSAs (public service advertising) on television, radio and in print. The spots will feature Boomers on the subject of giving back.
  
  Similar Goal, Different Approach
  
  

  Civic Ventures, the San Francisco-based think tank, announced December 1 that nominations were open for its newly created Purpose Prize. Similar to the McArthur 'genius' grants, the $100,000 prize will be awarded to five social entrepreneurs 60 or older “who are using their life experience and creativity to transform our nation and defy expectation for the second half of life.” Sixty semi-finalists will come together in June at an Experience Leadership summit, to share successes and compare notes on overcoming obstacles. Bravo! For eligibility criteria, application, nominations and other information: www.leadwithexperience.org

• Cool Career #117: Non-Traditional Funerals
  
  Six Feet Under, the wildly popular HBO drama, is no longer with us, but here comes an approach to funerals from Hollywood scriptwriter, Lynn Isenberg, who has dreamed up the concept of personalizing one's funeral as an 'end of life' celebration that reflects individual interests and tastes. Isenberg's new business, Lights Out Enterprises, came into being in her own novel called The Funeral Planner. Her research turned up something potentially bigger than best-sellerdom: personalization and pre-planning are hot new trends in the $11 billion funeral industry as the majority rejects traditional last rites. See Business Week for more:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/nov2005/sb20051116_782689.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_nov19&link_position=link15

• Remember when paper was going to be a thing of the past? Dream on. Even if you are cutting edge as regards information management tools, chances are you are just as inundated with paper documents as ever. That's why they still make filing cabinets. What better time than the end of the year to finally determine what to keep and for how long? Get yourself a big garbage bag and check out this authoritative source that demystifies it all for you. Do it! http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/mtg/20000518h.asp
  
  
  Quick Takes
  
  

• The 2young2retire Conference at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, a focus on Third Agers and the needs of business for workers in the next 10 years, was a success. Click here for conference proceedings, including Howard's speech and an address from Senator Herb Kohl, Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee and author of The Older Worker Opportunity Act, introduced October 6. http://www.uwsp.edu/conted/conferences/2young/ConferenceProceedings.asp
  

• Birds do it. Bees do it. Even millions of sophisticated city-dwellers do it. Live happily without owning an automobile, that is. Marika went car-free temporarily this week and learned (again!) that hauling two bags of groceries about a mile at a brisk pace is a great cardio workout. Of course, everyone needs transportation by car sometimes, and that's where Car Sharing comes in. See http://www.carsharing.net/where.html
  Bicycling more your speed? Meet a few like-minded others: http://www.bta4bikes.org/
  

• Freelancers Unite! Working Today, the non-profit organization that promotes the interests of independent workers, has an interesting new report: The Rise of the Freelance Class: A New Constituency of Workers Building a New Social Safety Net: http://www.workingtoday.org/stf/report.php
  

• In business for yourself or want to be? The Internet is loaded with information, some of it at no charge. Here's one source we discovered that is worth checking out: http://www.myownbusiness.org/
  Here's how they describe their mission: My Own Business, Inc, (MOBI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to helping new businesses succeed in every community. To fulfill this mission, we offer access to the fr.ee online version of our popular course.
  

• Stocking stuffer: Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways to Start the Rest of Your Life (Plume 2004) for all the people of a certain age on your holiday gift list.
  

• And if you live in or near Phoenix or Tucson, Arizona, come and meet Howard and Marika at these dates and locations.
  
  Tuesday, January 24, 11:30 – 1:00 PM Tucson Coaches Alliance, Howard Stone, Reinventing Retirement: What's Next for the 50+ Population? Details: http://www.tucsoncoaches.com/meetings.shtml
  
  Saturday, January 28, 10:00AM - 12:00 Noon
  Glendale Public Library; Phoenix West Valley
  Info: Diane Nevill, 623-930-3554, dnevill@glendaleaz.com
  
  Friday, February 3^rd, 6:30 PM
  Marshall Auditorium, Tucson Medical Center (Grand & Craycroft)
  Sponsored by The Institute of Noetic Sciences community group
  Marika and Howard
  Info: www.noetic.org and www.ionstucson.org
  

• Register now! One-hour 2young2retire facilitator certification teleclass trainings on six Tuesdays, January 10, 17, 31, February 7, 14, and 21, 2006. Choose your time slot: 12 noon or 7 PM Eastern Standard Time. begins January 10. Deadline for registration, December 30. Contact Howard, howard@2young2retire.com
  

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. May your New Year be joyful, peaceful and more conscious.

Marika and Howard Stone
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