You have a great idea, but you need to take it from brain to bank. Now may be the time to try, because your odds of success can increase with age, says Wendy Robbins, a New Mexico based inventor and consultant to other creative types. At press time, about 60 percent of The United Inventors Association of America members were 50 or older, estimates executive director Mark Reyland, and overall membership had grown 243 percent in a little over a year. "Older adults have more experience, plus the insight and persistence to get a product to market," says Jeffrey Dobkin, president of Philadelphia's American Society of Inventors and author of How to Market a Product for Under $500! You can make money, but don't expect to get rich. Sure, after two years of development, George Weiss, 85, of Brooklyn, has sold 20,000 copies of his word game Dabble. But more common are inventors like Sher Gregory, 54, of Dobbs Ferry, New York, who spent 11 years creating her Puffalicious Body Wash System before selling only about 50 units during her January launch. … Back to Article

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