What crimes do Americans fear the most? Not burglary, murder or even terrorism. Most of us are afraid of something that we invite into our homes and lives on a daily basis. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, the most feared crime in America is having your credit card information stolen at stores (69% of us fear it most) and the second-most-feared crime is having your computer or smartphone hacked (62%). Tech crimes and scams rank far above other feared crimes, such as having your home burglarized when you aren't there (45%) or having your car stolen or broken into …

And I think it is important to understand why. No less than ten new books have been published in the last 18 months on the subject of how to find purpose, careers, re-imagine your late life years, and most recently disrupting the idea of aging. Everyone from television personality Jane Pauley to aging guru Dr. Bill Thomas has weighed in how to live a fuller, more connected life.

As in other categories, these women are routinely ignored or taken for granted. While people who read this column know that Boomers and Gen X consumers are worth targeting, you may not realize that they are worth targeting not just for age-related products and services but for all products, including housewares.

In the '60s, there was a popular saying among the Baby Boomer generation, "Don't trust anyone over 30." It's a sentiment not widely shared by Millennials, as evidenced by their engagement in the presidential election process.

Greater individuation brought into the marketplace by Baby Boomers lessens the usefulness of traditional customer segmentation for reasons of simple economics. The greater the degree of individuation (the older we get, the less alike we become), the smaller the sub-groups; the smaller the sub-groups, the less cost-effective it is to tailor marketing programs to such groups.