Hot Topics: Boomers Say Age Isn't an Issue at the Office

In the survey, 61 percent of boomers say that age isn't an issue at work, and 25 percent actually see their age as an advantage. Only 14 percent consider getting older as a competitive liability. Only 18 percent of boomers surveyed say they've experienced age discrimination at work.

A third of boomers reported that their employers treat them with more respect as they get older, and many say that younger workers frequently turn to them for advice.

And contrary to the common perception -- at least among some members of Generation X and Y -- that older workers are struggling to keep their skills current and cope with new technology, two-thirds of boomers think they're doing pretty well with both.

In the study, two-thirds of boomers say they'll work at least part time after age 65 for financial reasons, either out of necessity or because they anticipate wanting extra spending money. Another 29 percent say they'll continue to work mostly to remain busy.

Jazz Musician-Runner Sets World Record: Nolan Shaheed, 61, has had a pretty impressive career as a professional trumpet player, backing big names ranging from Count Basie to Phil Collins. But as a runner, he's definitely a frontman. Shaheed was named USA Track & Field's athlete of the week after breaking his own age-group world record in the 800 meters at the Tommie "Tiny" Lister Track Classic in Los Angeles. Shaheed's time of 2:08 in the metric half-mile bested by a half-second a mark that he had set just the week before. In this Runnersweb.com article, Shaheed says it was "very touching" to be selected over hundreds of college athletes as the most outstanding competitor in the meet.

Boomers Lead the Way in Volunteering: A third of those born between 1946 and 1964 regularly work for free to further their favorite causes, the highest volunteering rate of any generational group, McClatchy/Tribune News reports, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. Not only that, but boomers are volunteering at a significantly higher rate than previous generations. The typical boomer spends more than a full workweek -- 51 hours -- volunteering annually. Though they're often putting in an impressive amount of time, they're not joiners: 57 percent of boomers show up and volunteer as individuals rather than joining service organizations. 

Baby, It's a Lawsuit: Dionne Warwick and Beverly Lee, a surviving member of the 60s girl group the Shirelles, are suing the producers of a just-opened musical, Baby It's You, alleging the show features them as characters without their permission. The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court this week, charges that the production exacerbates the injustice done to the performers in their youth, when they say they were cheated out of royalties. "They did get taken advantage of, and now they have to watch and live through it a second time," the performers' attorney, Oren Warshavsky, tells the New York Post. (Warner Bros., one of the defendants, declined comment.) Baby It's You tells the story of Florence Greenberg, the New Jersey housewife who started her own record label, Scepter Records. Greenberg signed performers such as Warwick and the Shirelles, who recorded hits such as "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Baby It's You." 

Paula and Simon, Together Again: NBC's new reality show, The Voice, started out strong in the ratings. That couldn't make American Idol creator and former judge Simon Cowell very happy, since The Voice bears a strong resemblance to the concept for The X Factor, the show that Cowell is gearing up to debut on Fox in the fall. But Cowell, whose caustic commentary helped make Idol a hit, has an ace in the hole; he revealed this week that he's signed his former Idol colleague Paula Abdul as a judge. Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole also will be on the panel.

Test-Driving Your Retirement Community: Smart Money reports that retirement communities across the nation, under increasing pressure to move unsold vacant units, are offering retirees the opportunity to spend a few nights in a tricked-out model home as a sales tool. Such "retirement getaways" are becoming increasingly common, according to Andrew Carle, director of the senior housing administration program at George Mason University in Virginia. The vacation packages go from $99 to $200 a night, not including meals.