The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm

Boomers and Car Loans

Volkswagen of America/Porsche/Audi, Inc., in Culver City, California, recruited me out of college. It was a dream job with a lot of perks, including a brand-new car to drive. I had never owned a new car, so when the company gave me the keys to this new Volkswagen Super Beetle, I tried to be cool but there was no way to hide my excitement. I was a kid in a candy store. It had air-conditioning, an AM/FM stereo radio, and a sunroof. And the crème de la crème: the company paid for gas. As part of my corporate training, I was required to sell cars in a Volkswagen dealership for three months. I had just graduated from college, but this is where my real education began.

Volkswagen had a sales formula that was all but written in ...