Biography

Joseph F. Coughlin, PhD is Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. He teaches in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies & Planning and the Sloan School’s Advanced Management Program. Coughlin conducts research on the impact of global demographic change and technology trends on consumer behavior and business strategy. He advises a wide variety of global firms in financial services, healthcare, leisure and travel, luxury goods, real estate, retail, technology, and transportation. Coughlin has served on advisory boards for firms such as Bell Canada, British Telecom, Daimler, Fidelity Investments and Sanofi-Aventis. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the White House Advisory Committee on Aging and by Governor Charlie Baker to the Governor’s Council on Aging in Massachusetts where he co-chaired the Innovation & Technology Subcommittee.

A Behavioral Sciences Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fellow of Switzerland’s World Demographics & Ageing Forum, Coughlin is a Senior Contributor to Forbes and writes regularly for MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal. He was named by Fast Company Magazine as one the ‘100 Most Creative in Business’ and by the Wall Street Journal as inventing the future of retirement. Recently, Coughlin was recognized as one of 15 World Minds by the Zurich-based World Minds, a select community of global leaders in science, arts and business. His book, The Longevity Economy: Inside the World’s Fastest Growing, Most Misunderstood Market, is one of CEO READ’s Business Bestsellers.

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If Demography is Destiny, What Is the Future of Real Estate?

Demography is destiny. Unlike economic and technology forecasting that are most often based upon selected and changeable assumptions, demographics are based upon the people that are already here. Demographic transition, evolving lifestyles as well as related technology trends are rapidly changing. These trends are likely to have a transformative impact on real estate touching residential and commercial property as well as fuel the growth of specialized emerging developments.

Among these factors are the aging of the population, high divorce rates, smaller household composition, a three- or even four-generation workplace and the drastic reduction of fertility rates across the nation. This new demographic reality combined with the emergence of the sharing economy—a world where you can have it all, but own none of it—is changing our ideas about the future of community, home, retail and work. This engaging and entertaining presentation will explore the disruptive demographics of tomorrow and weave a story of how demography, along with next-gen technologies, will shape the future of communities, where we choose to live and housing.

Retirement Education & Planning in Transition

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Care or Confusion? A Consumer’s Perspective of the Healthcare Delivery System

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Innovation & the Future of Aging Services

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Booksby Dr. Joe Coughlin

The Longevity Economy

Aging America and Transportation

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