Banking & Insurance
The current retired generations are considered the wealthiest in history: In Austria, annual inheritance volumes reached €21.5 billion in 2025 and are expected to nearly double by 2050. In Germany, €113 billion was inherited or gifted in 2024 — a rising trend. The baby boomer generation holds around 57 percent of private real estate wealth in Germany.
These target groups are still underestimated: They are the most loyal and capital-rich customer group in the financial sector — and at the same time the group that most frequently feels poorly advised, digitally left behind or not taken seriously.
Then there is a second, equally relevant group: the “sandwich generation” between 45 and 60. They are increasingly managing not only their own retirement planning, but also taking on financial responsibility for their parents — seeking care cost coverage, clarifying powers of attorney, organising estates. This group frequently co-decides, or decides alone.
And what many players have not yet registered: This group inherits — making them the customers of tomorrow.
Where needed, we collaborate with experienced consultants from the banking sector.
Mistakes we frequently see:
#1 – The most valuable customer group does not feel addressed
Financial products and communication are geared towards younger, digitally native audiences. The 50+ generation barely recognises itself in advertising or advisory offerings — even though it holds the majority of wealth and builds the most stable and loyal customer relationships.
This is not a marketing detail — it is a strategic misalignment. And there is a further gap: The direct heirs are not being addressed either.
#2 – The co-decision-makers are overlooked
It is often sons and daughters between 45 and 60 who research, compare — and ultimately commission. Very few institutions actively address this group, yet these are tomorrow’s customers.
They need support with instruments such as account authorisation, advance directives and digital estate planning. Experience from practice shows: those who raise sensitive topics thoughtfully are not turned away — they hear: “Thank you for bringing this up. Nobody has ever talked to me about this before.”
#3 – Digitalisation as pure self-service
Pressure is mounting: branch closures, digitalisation demands and increasingly complex product landscapes are meeting a customer base that expects advice, trust and accessibility.
Those who understand and close this gap secure one of the most long-lived and valuable customer bases — ideally across multiple generations, if the heirs are reached as well.
Why now: The market is changing
The baby boomer generation is entering a decisive phase of life: retirement, wealth transfer, care provision planning. Today’s 65+ generation is considered the wealthiest retirement generation that has ever existed.
This wealth is waiting to be managed — in account products, securities, real estate, digital assets. And the people who hold it are beginning to reach their physical limits. Many have no plan yet. The need is urgent: physical limitations and cognitive changes often arrive simultaneously — and that is precisely when it becomes difficult to manage financial affairs independently and securely.
Furthermore: The greatest destruction of wealth does not happen on the stock market — it happens in inheritance disputes. Unregulated estates, missing powers of attorney and unresolved property ownership arrangements frequently end up in court.
Banks and insurers that build trust now — with those transferring wealth and those receiving it — are in a privileged position. Further insights from practice: in an interview on SmartBuildingsCompass, Silvia Merschitsch, mediator for asset distribution and inheritance law, explains why advance directives, account authorisation and digital estate planning are among the most pressing issues of our time — and what banks could contribute. → Read the interview
What I can do for you
Market & Potential Analysis
Where do you stand today in reaching older customers — and where does untapped potential lie? I analyse your target groups, product range, channels and communication with a focus on the 50+ generations, their purchasing motivations and their families.
Customer Journey
I map the complete journey of your older customers — from first contact through to repeat business. Where do barriers arise? Where is trust lost? And where are the concrete levers?
Offerings & Services
Does your offering genuinely reflect the reality of older people’s lives? I assess where adaptation is needed — and show how existing offerings can be better positioned or new target segments opened up.
Understanding Older Customers
Together we work out who your older customers really are, what drives them and what holds them back — and how your team can advise and support them more effectively. Practical and directly applicable.
Communication & Content
I develop content and communication approaches that speak to older customers and their families — online and offline, in-branch as well as in the online environment.
GEO & SEO
Those searching for offerings today no longer ask only Google — they ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or an AI browser assistant. Together with a specialised partner, I show you how to become visible where your target group is searching today.
Let’s talk.
Demographic change is not an abstract future — it is reshaping your target groups right now. If you want to understand the opportunities it holds, I look forward to a first conversation.
Fill in the form — or write to me directly at anja@owl-lab.at.