I recently spoke at league conferences in Virginia, Oklahoma and Hawaii on the importance of building programs for boomer members. These events included alternate sessions on the economic and regulatory events that have made the last couple years challenging. These topics still made sense in a time when we are unsure if we are on the path to recovery or just in the eye of the economic storm. But I noticed a new mood among conference attendees. Many credit union leaders attended my session stating that they were ready to shake off the negatives and move forward to grow their businesses and help their boomer members.

Similarly, I have been talking with boomer members and reading numerous consumer blogs, research and reports. I found these boomers are also emerging from their economic storm shelters to face their personal financial wreckage and start making repairs. For most, their job security, retirement accounts, housing equity and confidence have been damaged but not their attitude. Boomers are resilient and are unwilling to change their historically positive outlook. They are very willing to change their approach.

On Tom Brokaw's recent CNBC special "BOOMER$," an interviewee gave a great example. Her downsizing made her reexamine the differences between her upbringing and the way she is raising her children. She now questions obligations such as having to drive her kids across state lines to play in every soccer tournament while she grew up playing with the neighborhood kids in the backyard. Similarly, the cab driver on one of my trips shared her rethinking of retirement expectations by reflecting that working longer is OK, if it is something she enjoys. Adding that if she has to stay active to stay healthy, she might as well get paid for it.