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Reprint From Smart Money Magazine - November 1998

Not so long ago, the assumption that the older you were, the less likely you were to use the Internet or to find relevant material there was widespread. But that stereotype is badly outdated. In fact, senior citizens, as well as near seniors (or junior seniors, perhaps?) in their 50s, are flocking to the Internet in rising numbers, and sites aimed at seniors are sprouting like dandelions.

Use of the Internet, and of computers themselves, seems to be almost a generation-skipping skill. Kids are quite adept; parents in their 30s and 40s seem relatively less so, perhaps due to the time squeeze of jobs and child-rearing; while grandparents, and seniors in general, are getting wired. This is especially true of retirees, many of whom find themselves with time on their hands and a keen curiosity about what's out there.

Seniors are, of course, interested in all the same things that draw younger surfers, from music to technology, books to investments, politics to pornography. But most have a special interest in such issues as retirement planning, health, travel, family and mature romance.

So what is on the Internet for seniors?

Well, as usual, there are a lot of sites in the category -- a casual Yahoo! search turns up long lists -- but I could find none I considered truly excellent for a broad range of seniors, perhaps because of the great diversity of senior's interests and circumstances. Except for one site that stood out among the rest.

Here is one of the major sites I Found.