Americans are now living decades longer than previous generations. These added years offer exciting possibilities but also raise crucial questions. How long will I live? Will I be healthy? Will I lose my memory? How long will I work? Will I have enough money? Where will I live? How will I die? The Reverend Chip Edens talks with Debra Whitman, a globally recognized expert on aging, about her groundbreaking book, The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond.

Whitman is an economist and expert on aging issues with an extensive background in policymaking and research. As Chief Public Policy Officer for AARP, Debra leads global policy and research to help communities, lawmakers, and the private sector improve our lives as we age. Previously, as staff director for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Debra worked across the aisle to increase retirement security, lower health care costs, protect vulnerable seniors, make the pharmaceutical industry more transparent, and improve our long-term care system. As she approached her 50th birthday, Whitman wanted to delve deeper into why so many Americans struggled to live well as they aged. And she began to wonder what was in store for her own second fifty. Suddenly, the questions she’d been studying for years became personal. In her groundbreaking book, Whitman provides a roadmap for navigating, and celebrating, the second half of life.