Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Retirement communities are creating a "steady stream" of spending for local economies

Jul 18, 2024
At Sun City Texas, where the median age is 73, seniors are kicking up their heels and patronizing a variety of nearby businesses.
Many baby boomers are enjoying retirement and spending it up.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Why are Gen Xers worried about retirement?

Jul 10, 2024
According to a new survey from BlackRock, only 60% of Gen Xers say they are on track to have enough retirement savings. And time is running out -- the oldest of them are reaching retirement age.
Unlike younger generations, Gen Xers are struggling to save money for retirement.
Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images

“I’m at a point where I want to enjoy my life”

Jun 14, 2023
Baby boomer Barbara Talisman quit her job to travel the world. Research shows her generation wants to live it up as younger folks spend less.
Barbara Talisman having an adventure in French Polynesia in April 2022.
Courtesy Talisman

Debunking the myths about millennials, boomers and other generations

It's not true that all baby boomers are better off and millennials have no chance at owning homes.
istock/ Getty Images

What did my Gen Z coworker just say?

Dec 26, 2022
Gen Z has developed its own way to communicate and is now bringing it into the workplace. But their use of language is leaving older colleagues bewildered.
Gen Z slang is making its way into the workplace, but sometimes older colleagues are struggling to understand.
Disobey Art/Getty Images.

Low wages and high costs clash in the home health care crisis for aging Americans

Apr 8, 2022
“We've never invested in the ability of families to afford the care that they need,” says Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 people per day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Daniel Leal-Olivas-Pool/Getty Images

Is income inequality the reason why interest rates have been low?

Wealthy people and their savings are driving down interest rates, a recent paper suggests. Marketplace contributor Chris Farrell explains it.
A recent paper by economists suggest income inequality is the reason why interest rates have been low for decades. Above, a 2011 news report shows the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates near zero until 2013.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Multigenerational households make good economic sense

The most recent numbers we have show 20% of the American population is living in multigenerational households.
"The multigenerational home is a safety net, yes. But the bigger story is the compelling economics of multiple generations living under one roof," says Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Morsa Images via Getty Images

Massachusetts extends a lifeline to ailing nursing homes, but more closures are expected

Sep 3, 2019
They're pinched by rising costs and a shortage of skilled caregivers.
A physical therapy aide helps a man exercise at a nursing home.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Co-housing offers people a way to age at home

Jul 25, 2018
The American Association of Retired Persons estimates about three-quarters of people 45 and older want to stay in their homes as they age.  One way for them to do that is co-housing. It gives people the opportunity to live independently but in a community where they share some expenses and activities including chores. There are 165 […]
One way to keep aging people in their homes longer is through co-housing. 
JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images