The biggest winner, however, is Airbnb.
“Modern elders, or people over 60, own more housing and real estate than any other group in the country, and they are now the fastest-growing segment using Airbnb, and in many ways, the most lucrative,” Dychtwald said.
Fifty-two percent of Americans over the age of 75 live alone, but 27% of people over the age of 50, including retirees, said that they would consider renting a room for short or long terms.
“Boomers are becoming more aware of Airbnb as a trend,” said Chris Chen, a financial advisor in Boston. “I have one retiree who rented out her home for six months to pay for her trip to South America because she has a lifelong interest in Latin American culture and she wanted to learn Spanish.”
According to the study, 28% of those over 50 said they would consider a housemate since living alone is both isolating and expensive.
“I’m seeing the sharing economy among my clients who are 50 to 70 years old and who are pre-retirees or recent retirees when they're still young and fresh and interested in exploring new ways of traveling or living that they haven't necessarily tried in the past,” said Jonathan Swanburg, a financial advisor in Houston. Although he encourages his aging clients to embrace new ways of pooling resources, it’s with one caveat, which is to stay close to the group.
“Participating in the sharing economy doesn't mean you're automatically ultra-trusting,” Swanburg said. He says you should never deal with the hosts of the Airbnb house or the Uber drivers directly outside of the mobile application or website, even if they say it’s cheaper. “Always use the internet platform to book because there are safety, security and insurance mechanisms in place to protect users.”