DIE AT YOUR DESK

God Bless Mildred Heath.

Mildred works at a newspaper that her family owned until June of this year. What is so remarkable about Mildred is that she has been working at the Beacon Observer in Overton, Nebraska for 86 years. She still puts in 30 hour weeks and turned 101 in January. Mildred is an active member of the community working with many town committees.

When asked about the future of newspapers, she believes small town papers will hang in there for a long time and that the dailies are having a struggle because "you can get the news every day on television".

And while the Internet may not yet (or ever) impact Mildred's daily life, it's safe to say that she's right. Local weeklies will survive.

Mildred is among the lucky ones. She wants to work. For the millions of Americans that have come of retirement age, many need to work and have little hope of enjoying their golden years.

Thank you Bernie Madoff and a battered economy.

Millions in their 70s, 80s and even 90s have changed the picture of retirement. Workers over 65 are increasing at a faster rate than any other age group.... waking up to a dream that has faded, bending to financial fear and replaced by the harsh reality of lost pensions, inadequate savings and escalating medical costs.

Health Care reform, a reset on the way we save, an overhaul of the Social Security System and a serious clamp down on bank loan and credit card practices require a massive shakeup.

For marketers willing to grasp and understand the impact of this seismic shift in demographic profiling, there are fortunes to be made while catering to the needs of a new league of American Gray workers.