This blog is based on insights from Bryan Kelly, UX strategist and content design leader, who will deliver a keynote on this topic at digitalNow 2025 (November 2-5 in Chicago). Listen to the full episode of the Sidecar Sync Podcast here.
By 2030, one-third of Americans will be over the age of 50. That includes the oldest millennials.
If you're an association leader, this number should change how you think about everything from educational programming to digital member experiences. While the industry has spent years focusing on how to engage Gen Z members, a far more significant demographic shift has been quietly reshaping the landscape beneath our feet.
This shift has a name: the longevity economy. MIT Age Lab researcher Joseph Coughlin coined the term to describe the massive economic activity driven by adults over 50. In the United States alone, this group generates $8 trillion in annual spending. Globally, that number reaches $22 trillion. Within the next five years, roughly 132 million Americans will be part of this demographic.
The longevity economy represents more than market size. It signals a fundamental change in how multiple generations approach work, learning, and career evolution in the second half of life.
The longevity economy encompasses everyone over 50, which means it includes Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and soon the oldest Millennials. That's three distinct generations with different worldviews, values, and life experiences. Treating them as a monolithic "older demographic" misses the nuance entirely.
Gen Xers are now in their 50s and early 60s. The oldest will turn 60 this year. These are people who grew up listening to Nine Inch Nails and Dr. Dre. They don't see themselves as "seniors," and they certainly don't fit the stereotypical image of what a 60-year-old looks like.
Baby Boomers are redefining what it means to age. Today's 65-year-old bears little resemblance to the 65-year-old of 20 years ago. They're more physically active, more engaged with technology, and less interested in traditional retirement than any generation before them.
Even the term "older adult" feels inadequate when you're talking about people who may have 30 or 40 productive years ahead of them. The longevity economy acknowledges that this isn't a group winding down. Many are gearing up for new chapters.
Gen X professionals face a problem: traditional retirement at 65 isn't realistic for most of them. Many can't afford it. Others simply don't want to stop working.
This has given rise to what's being called the "unretirement" movement. The concept is simple: instead of ending a career, you evolve it. You take decades of accumulated expertise and deploy it in new ways that align with your current life stage.
Kelly observed this firsthand after moving to the world's largest retirement community at age 45. Many of his neighbors are semi-retired professionals who haven't quit working. They've just restructured how they work. They're consultants, part-time employees, entrepreneurs starting second or third businesses. They're going back to school or pivoting into entirely new fields.
The common thread is agency. These professionals want to work on their own terms. They're seeking meaningful contribution, not a leisure-focused lifestyle of golf and social activities. They have skills, experience, and institutional knowledge that took decades to build. The question becomes: how do they continue using those assets in ways that feel purposeful?
This represents a massive shift from the retirement myth that dominated for the past 50 years. That myth promised a clear endpoint: you work until 65, then you stop and enjoy your golden years. Financial realities and changing attitudes have made that model obsolete for many people.
Here's where associations enter the picture.
There's widespread agreement among workforce experts that professionals over 50 need opportunities to re-skill and upskill. The pace of change in most industries means that even highly experienced professionals need to continually update their knowledge. Add in technological disruption, and the need becomes urgent.
The proposed solution has largely centered on community colleges. They're affordable, practical, and can develop programs faster than traditional four-year universities. Community colleges make sense for certain types of training.
But they have limitations. They're not equipped to provide industry-specific professional development at the depth many experienced professionals need. They can teach technical skills, but they can't easily replicate the industry knowledge and context that comes from being embedded in a professional community.
Traditional universities move too slowly. Curriculum gets developed two or three years before students see it, which means it's often outdated by the time it's taught. University programs are expensive, they're designed for younger students, and they require a time commitment that doesn't work for professionals trying to evolve their careers while still working.
Harvard and Cambridge have started experimenting with programs for "long life learners." These initiatives recognize that education doesn't end at 22, and that adults in their 50s, 60s, and beyond represent an underserved market. These programs are still exceptions. Most universities haven't figured out how to serve this population well.
That leaves a gap. Professionals need targeted, relevant, industry-specific learning delivered by people who understand their field. They need it to be fast and flexible. They need it to respect the expertise they already have rather than treating them like beginners.
Associations already have most of what's needed to serve this market. You don't have to build from scratch.
Industry-specific knowledge and credibility. When your association offers a program or certification, it carries weight because you understand the profession deeply. Members trust you in ways they don't trust generic education providers.
Existing relationships. These aren't prospects you need to convince from a cold start. They're members who already see value in what you provide. Many have been part of your community for years or decades.
Educational infrastructure already in place. You've been doing professional development since long before it was called that. You know how to create content, deliver programs, and measure outcomes. You just need to look at who you're designing those experiences for.
Understanding of what matters today. Academic institutions teach theory and foundational knowledge. That has value, but professionals in career transition need to know what's relevant right now. You're embedded in the industry. You know where the gaps are and what employers are looking for.
Built-in community and peer learning. One of the most valuable aspects of professional development isn't the content itself—it's the connections formed with other professionals navigating similar challenges. Your members already form natural networks. Creating programming that leverages those networks multiplies the value.
Understanding the longevity economy means letting go of assumptions about age. Kelly's work in user experience design has shown him that designing for "older users" based on age demographics leads organizations astray.
The trap many fall into is creating "senior-friendly" versions of their offerings. Bigger fonts, simplified interfaces, slower pacing. This approach is both condescending and misguided. It assumes that age equals diminished capability, which the data doesn't support.
Over 70% of adults over 50 actively use technology, smartphones, and the web. They've been using technology longer than younger generations. They've lived through multiple technology adoption cycles. They're not intimidated by digital tools—they're just more deliberate about which ones they choose to use.
Kelly emphasizes three things this demographic values in digital experiences:
Clarity. They want interfaces that are straightforward and don't waste their time. No jargon, no unnecessary steps, no confusion about what happens next.
Security. They care deeply about online security because they've seen the consequences of data breaches and fraud. They need strong authentication and clear privacy policies.
Trust. They need to feel confident that an organization respects their information and their intelligence. Patronizing design choices undermine trust immediately.
Beyond digital experiences, they want meaningful contribution. The professionals in this demographic aren't looking for activities to fill their time. They want opportunities that leverage their expertise and create real value. They want to be challenged and to continue growing.
Kelly emphasizes looking at life stage and psychographics rather than age. A 48-year-old and a 62-year-old might be in similar life stages if they're both empty nesters, semi-retired, and working on portfolio careers. Their needs overlap in ways that age alone doesn't predict. Values, worldviews, and current circumstances matter more than birth year.
If you're ready to explore what serving the longevity economy means for your association, start with questions:
Review your current programs. Look at your educational programs and professional development offerings. Who are they designed for? If you're honest, many were probably built with early-career or mid-career professionals in mind. What would it look like to create programs specifically for members navigating career transitions in their 50s and 60s?
Ask the right questions. Survey your members over 50 about their career development needs. Don't ask about retirement planning. Ask about their professional goals for the next five to ten years. Ask what skills they want to develop. Ask what barriers they face in making career changes.
Identify the gaps. What skills gaps exist in your industry that experienced professionals could address with targeted training? Maybe there are emerging technologies they need exposure to. Maybe there are leadership skills that become more important as people move into advisory or consulting roles. Maybe there are ways to help them translate deep expertise in one area into adjacent fields.
Audit your digital experiences. Do they build trust and confidence? Are they clear and direct without being patronizing? Have you made assumptions about what "older members" need that don't match reality? Kelly offers a framework for identifying age bias in digital content that can help you spot problems you didn't know existed.
Rethink format and structure. Professionals in career transition can't always commit to year-long programs or rigid schedules. Can you offer shorter intensive courses? Self-paced options? Cohort-based programs that run for six weeks instead of six months? The format matters as much as the content.
The longevity economy represents one of the most significant demographic shifts in modern history. You have a choice. You can wait and see how this plays out, continuing to focus primarily on younger members while this massive cohort goes elsewhere for the support they need. Or you can recognize that you're uniquely positioned to serve this market right now, before competitors figure it out.
The professionals in this demographic aren't a charity case. They're not a "nice to have" segment you serve out of obligation. They represent enormous economic power, deep expertise, and genuine need for what associations do best: industry-specific professional development delivered through trusted communities.
To hear the full conversation with Bryan Kelly about designing better experiences for the longevity economy, listen to the complete episode of the Sidecar Sync Podcast. Bryan will be delivering a keynote on this topic at digitalNow, November 2-5, 2025 in Chicago.