Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The two surefire ways to make money...

... off boomers is now down to one. But that one way looks stronger than ever - and if you haven't invested accordingly, you should do it now.

Boomers had been a sure bet to spend their retirement years visiting either far-off places or nearby hospitals. Travel and health care companies were drooling over the thought.

But for travel agencies, hotels, and resorts, a thought is all it'll ever be.

Boomers are feeling the pinch along with the rest of the population. Consumer loan defaults are approaching levels not seen since the 1991 recession. And mortgage defaults are surging. Hopes of retiring with a nice little nest egg are fading along with the economy. That leaves health care...

The number of people being admitted to hospitals is expected to skyrocket from 8.2 million in 2004 to 22.9 million by 2030. Boomers begin reaching the ripe old age of 65 in 2011. And hospitals of all stripes - general, community, specialty, acute-care, ambulatory surgery, etc. - can't gear up fast enough.

How to invest? There are 12 real estate investment trusts (REITs) that specialize in developing and/or owning medical properties. They're much less risky than picking a pharma you think might have the next blockbuster pill.

Look for REITs with the lowest price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios. To find more information on these companies, go to the U.S. REIT website (nareit.com) and type "health care REIT" in the search window. Plenty of useful links will pop up for your browsing pleasure.

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