Best Home Businesses for People 50+ (Paperback)

by Paul Edwards (Author), Sarah Edwards (Author) "Not long ago an AARP magazine cover featured a smiling, vibrant photo of fifty-plus model Lauren Hutton; the headline read "60 Is the New 40!..." (more)
Key Phrases: listing your services, daily money managers, spy academy, Minimal Moderate More, Where Next, Feng Shui (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Best Home Businesses for People 50+ was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

"For those who take the "my way" approach to work life instead of the "bye way," the Edwards' new book is a blue print to help boomers bank on a business in the home. It offers information on selecting, starting, running and building a career based on individual needs, talents and ideals specific to the over-50 generation."

-- Broderick Perkins, DeadlineNews.com

"I sat down to glance and skim through this book and found myself a couple of hours later reading it page by page. The information is presented in a clear no nonsense way that not only reviews many businesses that would allow working seniors (or anybody for that matter) to create a business but gives some great resources and a virtual roadmap on making it a success."

-- Bill Vick, ThePhoenixLink.com

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description
For the fastest-growing segment of our population, here is a comprehensive guide to starting and running a home-based business in midlife and retirement.

A baby boomer turns fifty every seven seconds, creating what will soon be the largest and most influential senior generation in history. These dynamic seniors have both a desire and a need to continue their working lives past the age when their parents retired.

Boomers have been the primary buyers of more than one million self-employment guides by Paul and Sarah Edwards-and they now have the perfect handbook to take them into the second half of life.

The Best Home Businesses for People 50+ features seventy comprehensive profiles that show how to select, start, run, and build a home-based business suited to the needs, talents, and ideals of the over-fifty generation. Each business listing-for careers ranging in diversity from Makeup Artist to Tax Preparer to Information Broker-addresses the concerns of boomers and seniors, including:

- Businesses that people 50+ can continue working in for 10-15 years.
- Businesses that supplement your retirement income.
- Businesses adaptable to a wide variety of locations.
- Businesses with flexible hours to allow for family, travel, and other priorities.
- Businesses suited to a broad range of health and wellness needs.

Profiles of successful business owners and a treasury of online and easy-to-access resources round out The Best Home Businesses for People 50+ to create an indispensable resource for this new generation of career-oriented seniors.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 422 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (October 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585423807
• ISBN-13: 978-1585423804
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,771 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched, Well Written, November 25, 2004

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was kind of skeptical when I picked up this book. I was expecting to see comments of having a dream of being your own boss, etc. Then I found a section on Why a Home-Based Business at Fifty-Plus - and it was right on. the authors listed seven reasons people would want to keep working and Why a Home-Based Business at Fifty-Plus makes sense.

The third reason was "Unexpected Problems Have Sidetracked Our Plans." My father worked for one company for 35+ years, then they laid him off.

The sixth reason was "Ageism is a reality." A number of friends of mine have somehow found themselves out of jobs at fifty-plus and no one is interested in them. A few have gotten jobs of the Walmart greeter or McDonalds varieties. The happiest ones are running a small business at home.

My own observations are that you won't need as much money as you did while working. The second reason stated in the book was "We're Concerned We Will Need to Work." It reports that most experts say we need to replace 75%-80% of our income to live comfortably when we leave the workforce. That's probably true if you maintain the same kind of expenses. But after the house is paid for, the car is paid for, and the kid is out of college, your need for income can really go down. But I'm just quibbling over details. I would certainly agree that it would be difficult to live on Social Security alone.

The authors then discuss some seventy small businesses that they have found fifty-plus people operating successfully. Of coure all 70 won't appeal to you, but you only want one. Above all else, these seventy businesses may serve as a starting point for you to decide on just that business that fits you. Good Book.

72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Helpful-- Brimming Over with Ideas, December 4, 2004

By	Deb and Brad Schepp "Technology writers" (Western Maryland) - See all my reviews

If you're over 50, or even just approaching that age, you'll want to read this book. Unfortunately, ageism is a very real issue, but the Edwards' explain how to turn a perceived drawback into a very strong asset. They identify jobs that are well suited to those 50+, including some you probably didn't think of (e.g., Wedding Planner, Daily Money Manager, etc.). Aside from the job descriptions, I really like the resources sections, which point you to places for more details. Highly recommended.

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this one, save your money on the rest, September 13, 2005

By	Judith (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

The authors are long-standing, genuine experts on self-employment, and this is one of the best of their many books. It's well-researched, thorough, specific and an excellent place to start your research into what you really want to do -- and might realistically be able to do -- in your later-life career. I've been pretty good at reinventing myself several times, careerwise, but this book had info on occupations and solo or small businesses that I didn't even know existed. As a reality check, the info was accurate and adequate for the 3 that I already knew quite a bit about, from experience. Highly recommended.