Just in Time . . . Baby Boomers Discover a New Way to Retire

Baby boomers have found a new path to retirement through "Internet entrepreneurism," reports Forbes . A recent study estimated that nearly one in five people who remain working past age 65 are self-employed, excluding independent contractors. "Many boomers . . . have a lifetime of knowledge and experience that they want to share with others," said Online Trainers Federation founder Dave Smith. Boomers have elected to start a new business at an age when their parents were retired and their grandparents were past their life expectancy, and their growing familiarity and comfort with the Internet is making it surprisingly easy to start such businesses online. Be-At-Ease Solutions founder Beate Probst said this is partly due to the fact that "the technology is available to reach people all over the world with little investment but so much life experience and information." Smith added that profitable companies can be run directly from social platforms. "A 'relational' digital world has made it easy for experts to sell their expertise," he explained. "The older population is full of expertise, so they are perfect candidates to monetize their knowledge through an online business."