With Americans having fewer children and the baby boomer cohort rapidly retiring, it has been immigrants who have been shoring up the U.S. workforce. According to the Migration Policy Institute, U.S. Census data show that – from 2000-2022 – the number of U.S.-born residents of prime working age (25-54) grew by just 2.9 million, while the number of prime-working-age immigrants (both documented and undocumented) rose by 7.7 million. During this same period, the 65+ population increased by 18 million. The Elder Care Workforce Immigrants have become especially important in elder care. According to KFF, immigrants make up 28 percent of the overall…

In the world of employer branding, “authenticity” is the holy grail. We all know that a slick corporate video with hired actors and scripted lines doesn’t fool anyone anymore. Candidates want to see the real people behind the brand—their desks, their coffees, their challenges, and their triumphs. But here lies the paradox: How do you get employees to share authentic content on scale without it feeling… well, forced? If you push too hard, you get “automaton” posts that look like copy-paste PR blasts. If you don’t push at all, you might get silence. In a recent episode of the Employer…

The drug coverage provided by Medicare Part D is a key part of a retiree’s health insurance, and there are many options to choose from for those who have standalone Part D plans. Since these plans can change from year to year – sometimes dramatically – switching plans may offer big savings. Plan features that may vary include premiums, deductibles, copays, pharmacy networks, and even which medications are covered. As a result, a plan that worked well for you in 2025 may not be the best choice in 2026. During Medicare’s fall open enrollment period (October 15 through December 7…

I’ve written before about my frustration with the focus of many demographic reports on the 65+ population as a whole rather than dividing the cohort between those ages 65-84 and 85+. This distinction is for two main reasons: the differing rates of care needs and the opposite demographic trends of the two groups. Disability (for Many) Begins at 85 The younger cohort, despite some aches and pains of aging, is by and large able to take care of themselves. It’s after age 85 that the likelihood of needing assistance due to cognitive or physical disability really soars. The Administration for…

I recently spoke with a couple who wants to sell their home. Their realtor told them the market was a little soft but added that interest rates were likely to come down this year. The suggestion was that falling rates would boost home prices. That’s a common assumption, but it left me wondering whether it is always true. Two key questions here are worth asking. First, do mortgage rates always go down when the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates? And second, even if mortgage rates decline, should we expect home values to rise as a result? To help answer these…

In a recent podcast, I talk with Laura D. Quinby of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRR) and Luc Schuster of Boston Indicators  about their study Wealth Gaps in the Golden Years: Economic Insecurity for Older Adults in a High-Cost State. They examined economic insecurity for older adults in Massachusetts through both quantitative analysis carried out by the CRR and focus groups with low-income seniors conducted by Boston Indicators. The Data It’s no surprise that Massachusetts seniors typically have more wealth than the national average, but it’s also more unevenly distributed than in most states – the top third holds over $3.5…

So Many Fun Winter Adventures In The Yukon In Canada We headed north to experience winter adventures in the Yukon in Canada. Our stay at the Inn on the Lake at Marsh Lake was the perfect spot to finish the year with some Northern Lights. Whitehorse offered us cold weather fun for a short getaway adventure.  Heading To The Yukon In The Frigid Winter It was an easy 2.5 hour flight from Vancouver to Whitehorse in the Yukon. We had lots of Air Canada Aeroplan points so decided this trip to the Yukon was a great way to use travel…

“Your Microsoft account has been compomised [sic]. Click this link to reset your connecton [sic].” Does this message look familiar, typos and all? We’ve all seen suspicious emails or calls attempting to steal personal information. One unfortunate drawback of our tech-enabled world is that scams are increasingly common. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, people ages 60+ submitted more than 140,000 complaints and reported nearly $5 billion in direct losses in 2024. Sadly, most estimates suggest that unreported costs from scams and fraud are much higher. Despite growing awareness of fraudsters, the numbers have been steadily trending upward.…

I recently attended the joint Leading Age and Global Ageing Network conference in Boston. Leading Age is the trade association of the nonprofit elder care providers, covering senior care facilities and home health. The Global Ageing Network (based in Britain) promotes the sharing of ideas and experiences among elder service providers internationally. The event – titled “The Power of Purpose: Creating Ripples of Change” – attracted more than 6,000 people from around the world to learn how they can improve the lives of seniors and people with disabilities in their care. The attendees participated in dozens of breakout sessions, most of which addressed the…

Two recent reports on family caregivers capture the size and nature of caregiving activity. In terms of the number of people caring for adult family members, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) peg the figure at 38 million and 59 million, respectively.  It’s a big range, but the main reasons for the difference are simply that the BLS includes only unpaid family caregivers for older Americans while the NAC figure covers all family caregivers (unpaid and paid) for adults of all ages. BLS Results The BLS finds that, in 2023 and 2024, 14 percent of Americans ages 15+…