As the director of the MIT AgeLab, Joseph Coughlin has studied trends in demographics and technology and spearheaded research and innovation to improve the quality of life for older people and those who care for them. Now, in The Longevity Economy, he uses this expertise to break new ground in understanding this market, which composes an ever-increasing share of the total population.

While companies see the size and wealth of this market, they all too often use outdated narratives to figure out what this demographic really wants. Coughlin debunks conventional wisdom and provides...