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Ken Dychtwald

Founder & CEO of Age Wave, best-selling author, psychologist, gerontologist, entrepreneur

About

Gender: Male
Nationality:
Languages: English
Travels from: United States

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Biography Highlights

  • Ken Dychtwald is a visionary pioneer, renowned expert and acclaimed speaker who has informed, inspired and provided insight to millions on the unprecedented longevity revolution and related demographic, social and economic shifts that are transforming the marketplace, the workplace, and our lives.

Biography

Ken Dychtwald’s Background

Over the past 45+ years, Dr. Ken Dychtwald has emerged as North America’s foremost visionary and original thinker regarding the lifestyle, marketing, health care, economic and workforce implications of the age wave.

Ken is a psychologist, gerontologist, and best-selling author of 19 books on aging-related issues, including Bodymind; Age Wave: The Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging Society; Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old; Healthy Aging; Gideon’s Dream: A Tale of New Beginnings; A New Purpose: Redefining Money, Family, Work, Retirement, and Success; What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age; and Sages of Aging: A Guide for Changemakers. His memoir was updated and re-released in September 2023 as Radical Curiosity: My Life on the Age Wave. He was the executive producer and host of the highly rated/acclaimed PBS documentary, The Boomer Century: 1946–2046 which aired over 2,000 times on PBS stations nationwide as well as the public television special, Life’s Third Age. Sages of Aging is Ken’s latest national public television program featuring profound conversations with twelve of the leading pathfinders in the fields of aging.

Since 1986, Ken has been the Founder and CEO of Age Wave, an acclaimed think tank and consultancy focused on the social and business implications and opportunities of global aging and rising longevity. His client list has included over half the Fortune 500. He has served as a fellow of the World Economic Forum and was a featured speaker at two White House Conferences on Aging. In 2023, Ken has received the distinguished American Society on Aging Award for outstanding national leadership three times and, most recently, was awarded the President’s Award from ASA. American Demographics honored him as the single most influential marketer to baby boomers over the past quarter century. His article in the Harvard Business Review, “It’s Time to Retire Retirement,” was awarded the prestigious McKinsey Award, tying for first place with the legendary Peter Drucker. He was honored by Investment Advisor as one of the 35 most influential thought leaders in the financial services industry over the past 35 years. Ken and his wife, Maddy, recently received the Esalen Prize for their outstanding contributions to advancing the human potential of aging men and women worldwide. In 2018 he was awarded the Inspire Award from the International Council on Active Aging for his exceptional and lasting contributions to the active-aging industry and for his efforts to make a difference in the lives of older adults globally. In 2020, he was the first recipient of the Pioneer Award from the Retirement Coaches Association.

During his career, Ken has addressed more than two million people worldwide in his speeches to corporate, association, social service, and government groups. His strikingly accurate predictions and innovative ideas are regularly featured in leading print and electronic media worldwide and have garnered over twenty billion media impressions.

Videos

Topics

With the convergence of rising longevity, the aging of the massive Boomer generation, and widespread financial insecurity, we are already seeing retirement begin to morph. This presentation draws on Age Wave’s most recent cutting-edge research spanning five generations of adults to explore the most pressing questions and concerns in retirement planning today. The forces shaping the new retirement planning will be described along with key ways that financial professionals can ready themselves to demonstrate greater empathy and understanding to deliver targeted solutions that safeguard a well-lived retirement for these uncertain times.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Why has financial peace of mind become far more important than wealth?
  • What are the greatest worries for pre-retirees and retirees in achieving a financially secure retirement?
  • What are the “generational generosity” warning signs for financial professionals and their clients that could jeopardize retirement?
  • How is women’s rising longevity coupled with their growing financial power transforming retirement planning and how should you respond?
  • How will the growing demands of caregiving impact retirement planning?
  • How can financial professionals best manage the greatest generational hand-off in history and guide clients to leave their legacy?

Amidst our high-tech, high-anxiety, and workaholic culture, there is an awakening appreciation for the immeasurable value of great times with friends and loved ones, the satisfaction of continued personal growth, and the excitement of encountering new people, places, and cultures. Fueled by COVID fatigue as well as the dual Boomer liberations of empty-nesting and retirement—and turbo-charged by Millennial FOMO—hundreds of millions of men and women worldwide are hoping to enjoy more “time affluence” than at any other point in history.

This dynamic new presentation by Age Wave guru and author of his new memoir, Radical Curiosity: My Life on the Age Wave, explores the forces causing an unquenchable curiosity for stimulating and nourishing “peak experiences” of every form and flavor.

Dr. Ken Dychtwald will uncover the abundant opportunities for both entrepreneurs and industry leaders who understand how to serve this emerging new travel consumer.

Topics to be covered include:

  • Longevity: more life, more time, more personal reinventions, more travel
  • How will the unprecedented “age wave” demographic phenomenon both boost and transform the travel marketplace worldwide?
  • Why the “freedom zone” is now the most liberated and liberating time in life?
  • Life’s true valuables: the growing importance of experiences over things
  • 5 trillion hours to fill: tapping the enormous “longevity economy”
  • How can you transform your marketing strategies to meet the needs of today’s discerning travelers searching for “peak experiences?”

Based on his newly updated book, Radical Curiosity, Dr. Ken Dychtwald reveals in this special presentation the critical importance of maintaining lifelong curiosity in today’s ever-changing world. Through his enormously entertaining stories about mind-boggling encounters with an impressive cast of characters—from hippies to Hells Angels to presidents, CEOs and world-leaders—Ken shares key lessons about the challenges and opportunities of continuing to grow as we grow up.

He playfully examines how curiosity has guided him through every era of his life, from his humble beginnings in Newark, New Jersey to his “enlightening” years spent at the world-renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur during the height of the human potential movement, and from igniting the holistic health and healthy aging movements to his fellowship at the Davos World Economic Forum and ultimately creating his globally acclaimed company Age Wave, with a client list that includes half the Fortune 500.

Ken’s fascinating journey is replete with trials and errors every step of the way, and eye-opening lessons for all ages learned from a rich life that’s still a work in progress.

Rising longevity and the aging of Boomers worldwide are radically altering both the demographic landscape and every aspect of our personal, social, financial, and political lives.

How will these irreversible trends toward increasing longevity impact healthcare, medicine, nutrition and environmental safety? As the massive global Baby Boom generation ages, how can we also ensure that our healthspans and brainspans match our lifespans? And how can we ensure abundant lifelong health for all – not just the wealthy?

In this revealing glimpse into the future, Age Wave Founder and CEO, Ken Dychtwald, PhD, will address the implications of rising longevity and how your organization needs to envision the future to prepare for it.

  • How will maturity change as tens of millions of us live to 80, 90 or 100+?
  • With continued breakthroughs in longevity, at what age will old age begin?
  • Will the boomers opt for “pro-aging,” “anti-aging” or “ageless aging?”
  • How will boomer women and men approach aging differently?
  • Who will pay for the multiplying needs of a multiplying cohort of older adults?
  • How will we match our healthspan to our lifespan?
  • Are we prepared to reengineer many of our products and services to meet the needs of aging boomer consumers?
  • How will boomers deal with “right-to-death” issues?
  • Can our political system handle the demands that tens of millions of elder boomers will place on our social and economic infrastructure?
  • How will your business be ready for this unprecedented longevity revolution resulting in dynamic forces that will forever change our relationship with health and medicine?

These dynamic forces are shaping your business; are you prepared?

Men and women over 50 now make up 33% of the total U.S. population and 44% of the adult population but control more than 70% of total wealth.

Due to the combination of rising longevity, declining fertility, and the aging of the Baby Boom generation, this group is now bigger than the entire market of most countries.

As active and curious consumers, they are responsible for: 45% of new car and truck purchasing, 53% of all food and grocery purchasing, 55% of all travel and leisure consumption, 68% of OTC drugs, 77% of all Rx drug consumption, and 80% of all retirement accounts.

We will explain how your business can best target this massive, misunderstood, misrepresented, and wildly untapped new market. We’ll illustrate why 20th century notions of “lifetime brand loyalty,” “retirement,” and “seniors” have become obsolete and how with impending breakthroughs in precision medicine, living to 100+ will soon become commonplace. And we’ll provide a mind-stretching preview of the products, services, marketing, and advertising that will succeed at meeting the needs and aspirations of this new “Third Age” while eliminating the ageism that has impeded shareholder value for too long.

Books

Radical Curiosity: My Life On the Age Wave

For five decades, Ken Dychtwald, PhD has explored the possibilities of human potential and purposeful longevity. Spearheading the Age Wave movement, his leadership has helped prepare society for both the challenges and opportunities presented by our increasing longevity. Dychtwald’s visionary ideas are a call to action: we must reimagine the lengthening lifecourse; living our lives with more purpose, interdependence, and discovery, regardless of age. Dychtwald has written many books, advised countless global leaders and Fortune 500 companies, and guided his own company Age Wave to be the industry standard in longevity studies and advocacy. But Radical Curiosity is at heart a personal story—a hero’s journey, populated by hippies and presidents, iconic celebrities and legendary change-makers. With the fully updated and revised (post-COVID) paperback edition of Radical Curiosity, Dychtwald further explores his own experience and life lessons as he grows older himself, seeking for new ways to remain grounded in the vitality of life-long curiosity.

Read more..

Radical Curiosity: My Life On the Age Wave

For five decades, Ken Dychtwald, PhD has explored the possibilities of human potential and purposeful longevity. Spearheading the Age Wave movement, his leadership has helped prepare society for both the challenges and opportunities presented by our increasing longevity. Dychtwald’s visionary ideas are a call to action: we must reimagine the lengthening lifecourse; living our lives with more purpose, interdependence, and discovery, regardless of age. Dychtwald has written many books, advised countless global leaders and Fortune 500 companies, and guided his own company Age Wave to be the industry standard in longevity studies and advocacy. But Radical Curiosity is at heart a personal story—a hero’s journey, populated by hippies and presidents, iconic celebrities and legendary change-makers. With the fully updated and revised (post-COVID) paperback edition of Radical Curiosity, Dychtwald further explores his own experience and life lessons as he grows older himself, seeking for new ways to remain grounded in the vitality of life-long curiosity.

Sages of Aging: A Guide for Changemakers

This book is a series of twelve profound conversations with some of the foremost elder changemakers in the fields of aging and longevity, and it captures the essence of their wisdom and perspectives. Subjects include the individual, social, and systemic dimensions of equity and inequity; averting a new era of mass elder poverty; the efficacy of today’s healthcare system for the chronic health challenges of older adults and their families; ageism in the media and popular culture; and the purposeful opportunities and obligations of today’s and tomorrow’s elders. Each leader candidly reflects on their origins, the fields of aging and longevity, and considers their own aging. This book is of high interest to readers young and old, as we all must come to terms with our aging and the legacies we choose to leave behind. It has the potential to change readers’ views on the future of their studies, their work, and their lives.

Read more..

Sages of Aging: A Guide for Changemakers

This book is a series of twelve profound conversations with some of the foremost elder changemakers in the fields of aging and longevity, and it captures the essence of their wisdom and perspectives. Subjects include the individual, social, and systemic dimensions of equity and inequity; averting a new era of mass elder poverty; the efficacy of today’s healthcare system for the chronic health challenges of older adults and their families; ageism in the media and popular culture; and the purposeful opportunities and obligations of today’s and tomorrow’s elders. Each leader candidly reflects on their origins, the fields of aging and longevity, and considers their own aging. This book is of high interest to readers young and old, as we all must come to terms with our aging and the legacies we choose to leave behind. It has the potential to change readers’ views on the future of their studies, their work, and their lives.

What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life's Third Age

Throughout 99 percent of human history, life expectancy at birth was less than 18 years. Few people had a chance to age. Today, thanks to extraordinary medical, demographic, and economic shifts, most of us expect to live long lives. Consequently, the world is witnessing a powerful new version of retirement, driven by the power and needs of the Baby Boomer generation. Consumers over age 50 account for more than half of all spending and control more than 70% of our total net worth – yet are largely ignored by youth-focused marketers. How will work, family, and retirement be transformed to accommodate two billion people over the age of 60 worldwide? In the coming years, we’ll see explosive business growth fueled by this unprecedented longevity revolution. What Retirees Want presents the culmination of 30 years of research by world-famous “Age Wave” expert Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., and author and consultant Robert Morison. It explains how the aging of the Baby Boomers will forever change our lives, businesses, government programs, and the consumer marketplace.

Read more..

What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life's Third Age

Throughout 99 percent of human history, life expectancy at birth was less than 18 years. Few people had a chance to age. Today, thanks to extraordinary medical, demographic, and economic shifts, most of us expect to live long lives. Consequently, the world is witnessing a powerful new version of retirement, driven by the power and needs of the Baby Boomer generation. Consumers over age 50 account for more than half of all spending and control more than 70% of our total net worth – yet are largely ignored by youth-focused marketers. How will work, family, and retirement be transformed to accommodate two billion people over the age of 60 worldwide? In the coming years, we’ll see explosive business growth fueled by this unprecedented longevity revolution. What Retirees Want presents the culmination of 30 years of research by world-famous "Age Wave" expert Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., and author and consultant Robert Morison. It explains how the aging of the Baby Boomers will forever change our lives, businesses, government programs, and the consumer marketplace.

With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life

The definition of success changes as you grow in life. As a child, it meant pleasing your parents; in high school, it may have meant good grades or popularity; as a professional, success usually means a good salary and the respect of others. But what about the years after your initial goals have been pursued and met? What does success mean then? Leisure or legacy? For more and more people, it’s about making things better and about improving the world in a lasting, significant way–about changing people’s lives and altering the course of history for the better. There’s an environment to protect and communities to strengthen. There are minds to change and hearts to win. There are examples to set and legacies to leave–your legacy. With Purpose is for the bold, for the dreamers who act. It’s an urging on why you should commit to have a lasting impact on the world, and it’s a manifesto on what you can do to maximize that impact, regardless of whether or not you think you have the resources to do it: you do. It will inspire you, show you how to identify your strengths, and make your next success a significant one.

Read more..

With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life

The definition of success changes as you grow in life. As a child, it meant pleasing your parents; in high school, it may have meant good grades or popularity; as a professional, success usually means a good salary and the respect of others. But what about the years after your initial goals have been pursued and met? What does success mean then? Leisure or legacy? For more and more people, it's about making things better and about improving the world in a lasting, significant way--about changing people's lives and altering the course of history for the better. There's an environment to protect and communities to strengthen. There are minds to change and hearts to win. There are examples to set and legacies to leave--your legacy. With Purpose is for the bold, for the dreamers who act. It's an urging on why you should commit to have a lasting impact on the world, and it's a manifesto on what you can do to maximize that impact, regardless of whether or not you think you have the resources to do it: you do. It will inspire you, show you how to identify your strengths, and make your next success a significant one.

Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent

Unprecedented shifts in the age distribution and diversity of the global labor pool are underway. Within the decade, as the massive boomer generation begins to retire and fewer skilled workers are available to replace them, companies in industrialized markets will face a labor shortage and brain drain of dramatic proportions. Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, and Robert Morison argue that companies ignore these shifts at great peril. Survival will depend on redefining retirement and transforming management and human resource practices to attract, accommodate, and retain workers of all ages and backgrounds. Based on decades of groundbreaking research and study, the authors present innovative and actionable management techniques for leveraging the knowledge of mature workers, reengaging disillusioned midcareer workers, and attracting and retaining talented younger workers. This timely book will help organizations sustain their competitive edge in tomorrow’s inevitably tighter labor markets.

Read more..

Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent

Unprecedented shifts in the age distribution and diversity of the global labor pool are underway. Within the decade, as the massive boomer generation begins to retire and fewer skilled workers are available to replace them, companies in industrialized markets will face a labor shortage and brain drain of dramatic proportions. Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, and Robert Morison argue that companies ignore these shifts at great peril. Survival will depend on redefining retirement and transforming management and human resource practices to attract, accommodate, and retain workers of all ages and backgrounds. Based on decades of groundbreaking research and study, the authors present innovative and actionable management techniques for leveraging the knowledge of mature workers, reengaging disillusioned midcareer workers, and attracting and retaining talented younger workers. This timely book will help organizations sustain their competitive edge in tomorrow’s inevitably tighter labor markets.

The Age Wave: How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Can Change Your Future

Based on fifteen years of research by a leading expert on aging, this is the first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of the aging baby-boomer population on society. Examining the choices and challenges for the future, Age Wave discusses topics such as the cyclic lifestyle, reinventing the family, elder power at the polls, and redesigning America.

Read more..

The Age Wave: How The Most Important Trend Of Our Time Can Change Your Future

Based on fifteen years of research by a leading expert on aging, this is the first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of the aging baby-boomer population on society. Examining the choices and challenges for the future, Age Wave discusses topics such as the cyclic lifestyle, reinventing the family, elder power at the polls, and redesigning America.

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