"Boomers have lived through multiple economic upheavals: periodic recessions, the oil shock and stagflation of the 1970s, the dislocations caused by globalization at the end of the 20th century, and the dot-com boom of the early 2000s. Now a confluence of events—the credit crunch, falling home prices, soaring energy costs, and a weakening dollar—is creating an even more challenging environment as they move into later life.

In much the way that limited liability corporations and the founding of the stock exchange defined today’s economic ground rules, grassroots economic experiments are creating the structures for a new kind of economy with new ways of organizing key
economic processes. Open-source production will create a volunteer workforce of millions. Peer-to-peer exchanges will turn supply chains into flexible, ad hoc networks.

ANXnewsOnline 12-09-08 At the end of this past month, the last week of November, applications for mortgages for homes rose a seasonally adjusted 38%, compared with the week before. Borrowers are taking advantage of lower interest rates according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.