The notion of being your own boss has great appeal for a growing percentage of Boomers who want to continue to work but on their own terms. Self-employment offers you freedom, flexibility and, potentially, higher income than a traditional and sometimes menial job.

Of all the self-employment options available to Boomers, one of the more intriguing ideas may be to concentrate your efforts on a business that actually serves Boomers. Due to the aging of America, services for those 65 and older are booming. As a result, the "longevity economy" could spell opportunity for an enterprising Boomer, according to Kiplinger. Contributing editor Susan Garland writes, "The inclination of many older individuals to take advice and help from their peers offers aging boomers a big advantage in the growing senior-oriented market. Just think of a service or product that you or your aging parents could use, and it may be a niche that you can fill."

Garland cites as examples a number of Boomers who have entered the market with services targeting the senior set. CPA Barbara Green started a business helping older Americans deal with "their day-to-day financial affairs." Freelance writer Cristina Pastor works part-time as a dementia-care coach. Psychologist Eloise Stiglitz started her own retirement coaching business. Tavis Schriefer came up with a novel way to screen calls from telephone scammers that resulted in a new business designed to protect the elderly.

Imagine what your parents have needed as they age, or what you will need as you advance in age, and there is probably a service opportunity awaiting you. Potential service areas include healthcare, finance, personal shopping, cooking, home safety, specialized organizational services, downsizing consultation, and more. In many cases, older clients will feel much more at ease dealing with a business owner who is older himself or herself.

If you've ever considered striking out on your own, don't overlook an audience segment you already know a lot about -- Boomers like you!

While the nation's unemployment rate continues to be low, the unemployment rate among workers 55-plus is deceiving. That's partly because those older workers who are employed may be working part-time when they really want to work full-time. There is some good news for older workers, though: An overall low unemployment rate means companies may be loosening up their hiring practices and offering positions to more mature individuals.

According to AARP, CVS, United Health Group, AT&T, and The Hartford are four examples of companies that are actively recruiting older workers. CVS, for example, promotes positions through an initiative the corporation calls "Talent Is Ageless." Almost one-quarter of CVS employees are over 50 years of age, and older workers are matched with younger, less experienced peers to offer them valuable guidance. The Hartford, through "The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence," actively seeks employees from senior centers and retirement communities.

AARP is encouraging companies to join in. The AARP Employer Pledge Program is a national effort to help employers solve their current and future staffing challenges and direct job seekers to employers that value and are hiring experienced workers. Working with AARP, participating organizations have signed a pledge that they:

• Believe in equal opportunity for all workers, regardless of age
• Believe that 50+ workers should have a level playing field in their ability to compete for and obtain jobs
• Recognize the value of experienced workers
• Recruit across diverse age groups and consider all applicants on an equal basis.

AARP also offers helpful web-based resources specifically for 50-plus workers:
 http://www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/our-work/income/back-to-work-50-plus/

It is encouraging to see at least some companies acknowledge the value of experience and maturity that older workers bring to a workplace.  

If you're considering a retirement relocation, it makes a lot of sense to consider a college town. The benefits of living in a college town are significant for retirees, among them:

• Because of the student population, the town is bustling, lively, and youthful.
• Restaurants, retail, and consumer services targeting students can be attractive to retirees as well.
• College and university campuses are often cultural centers, featuring music, dance, theatre, lectures, museum exhibits, and excellent libraries.
• Larger universities may have first-class hospitals and medical centers that provide quality healthcare.
• Educational institutions often allow seniors to audit classes and sometimes enroll at no charge or a reduced tuition. Seniors can often make use of campus facilities as well.
• Some institutions have OLLIs on campus. (OLLI is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, an educational program for seniors; find a complete list of OLLI locations here: http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?olli_list). I can tell you from personal experience that OLLI is a great resource for seniors, both in terms of stimulating courses taught by your peers and social interactions and activities.
• And, as retirement expert Kerry Hannon points out in her blog post, "Great Retirement Jobs in College Towns," colleges offer potential retirement job opportunities, such as adjunct professor, career center counselor, adviser, etc. Hannon notes that, out of the Forbes list of the twenty-five best places to retire, nine of them are college towns.

Thinking of a retirement relocation? Maybe you should think about a college town.

I've written a lot about how Boomers are redefining retirement, often transforming it into a time of "rewirement" during which they turn the whole concept of retirement on its head. Rewirement might mean taking a new job unrelated to one's previous career, starting a business, doing part-time work and volunteering, or something else completely different. For many Boomers, working through their 60s and possibly their 70s is desirable; for some, it is financially necessary. As a result, the very meaning of retirement has changed dramatically from previous generations.

Still, even if retirement has been redefined, it certainly indicates a time when Boomers are often going through some sort of significant change that could be related to the loss of a career, adult children leaving the nest, and a new perhaps less secure financial situation.

Wrestling with the basic question, "When should you 'really' retire?" is difficult without putting your hands on some basic data. To help in that regard, retirement expert Mark Miller addresses some key issues in his article for Reuters. He discusses financial considerations, health insurance, and such intangibles as lifestyle.

In his article, Miller references a helpful checklist of questions concerning when to retire published by the Society of Actuaries. (Now that's a group that probably knows a thing or two about making financial projections!) You can download a copy of this checklist at the link below.

Download When to Retire

"Older but wiser" is an old adage that Boomers could put to good use when it comes to establishing a freelance career. Often, your background and experience can be a plus in freelancing, unlike in the traditional job market, where younger employees are sometimes favored over older ones. Freelancing is essentially a form of self-employment in which you offer your services on an hourly or contracted job basis, directly to a client company, or via "resellers," who provide you with work on behalf of their clients. You may have heard this referred to as the "gig economy," (working on specific assignments rather than as a part-time or full-time employee) but that's just a contemporary term for freelancing.

There are several attractive aspects to freelancing. Freelancing offers you the ability to be your own boss, set your own rates (although they must be competitive), and enjoy a flexible work schedule. Contrary to popular belief, freelancing is not just for creative types; it used to be that a freelancer typically was a writer or graphic designer, but these days, companies are looking for freelance workers with a wide variety of skills. There are, for example, freelance software engineers, legal assistants, accountants, marketing project managers, and so on.

Carol Tice is an "older" freelancer who worked in banking and law for more than three decades and transitioned into a full-time freelance writer. She has some great advice for Boomers who may want to consider starting a freelance writing career in an article on her blog, "Make a Living Writing." When I read it, I was impressed by the fact that Carol's counsel could just as easily apply to any older freelancer, not just a freelance writer. The five steps she suggests are:

1. Take stock of your skills
2. Step up your marketing efforts
3. Keep learning
4. Manage your time
5. Plan ahead.

You can read the entire article here: http://www.makealivingwriting.com/older-freelance-writing-career/