I'm sorry...did you say a Trillion?

Estimates on the amount of disposable income in the hands of Boomers is over a trillion dollars. And as the allure of a trillion dollars of potential revenue becomes more and more enticing to marketers and businesses, I suspect that the efforts made to attract that revenue will increase exponentially. With the media hype over the first Boomers turning 60 over the past couple of months, all attention is sitting, right now, pointed directly at 50 plus. All I've been seeing for the past month are fabulous 60's tunes tagged onto ads for healthcare (Bob Dylan), weight loss (Cher) financial planning, and funeral homes. Very, very lame. Beyond lame.

However, that trillion dollars may not be as disposable as the pundits are hoping for. There will be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands...if not millions of 50 plussers who will be seeking new employment after having seen an unfortunate early end to their current career.

When I started Gen Plus, it was because of my observations of the coming decade as a Boomer. Born in 1959, I'm not quite yet a 50 plusser, but I have many friends who are. When my first friend, 53, a high-powered corporate sales exec, was bounced out due to his salary, I watched him head back to school to learn a new discipline and hope to find work in an entirely new field. He did. Eventually. But it was a heartbreaking path for him to follow and a challenging time for his family to support.

When my next friend, 51, was axed from her job as a Director of Marketing, she could not find work. Any work. She rented out her home to roomers to pay her mortgage and is struggling with starting a new business.

And it is no different today than 20 years ago, when my mother, at 50, tried to start her career again, as a divorced woman...and she could not. Eventually she did start her own business, but she could not break back into the traditional work force.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the writing on the wall (oh... and the rocket scientists are out of work too -- I know quite a few of them.) The word is ageism and it threatens to take the self-esteem of a generation that built a world filled with hope and optimism and brave forward-thinking movement. So the trillion dollars does belong to 50 plus, but a lot of aging Boomers will be hard-pressed to spend it. They'll be banking on that money to support another 3 decades of living. Every day, we search to find more small businesses and 50 plus friendly employers to give you more work options so that you can continue to contribute to the workplace and earn for many, many more years.