The ageing population - hell or heaven?

I doubt if there is any other 'fact' that polarises opinions more than the outcome of the ageing population.

My inbox this morning contained a press release about the forthcoming Boomer Conference in Washington (that I will be attending) with the rather amazing title.

The Longevity Opportunity in the U.S. is Comparable to Emerging BRIC Markets
America’s Leading Analysts Reveal the Opportunities for Investment and Business Growth in Serving 

OK, I know that when you are writing a press release you have to ensure the title is going to catch attention, but come on, Longevity=BRIC Markets?

I guess this makes a balance to the constant stream of doom-and-gloom news and opinions about the dire consequences of a world full of older people.

The truth is somewhere between the two. Yes, there are going to be massive business opportunities created by ageing in parts of the older demographic, however, the repercussions on the almost all of the economic factors of Western economies is going to be bad. That said, during the everlasting recession the older consumer, with its retained income (wealth), is all there is between many businesses and disaster.

It would be nice to see a more balanced argument but then balance is not what you expect from a PR release. Dick Stroud