Best iPhone Apps for Boomer Brains

Boomers looking for a retirement planning edge: Let the games begin. Beyond all the "work" of retirement planning-- fully funding the 401(k) and IRA, annual rebalancing, exploring LTC insurance -- it's never been more important to find plenty of time for play too.

As mentioned in a previous post, nearly one third of workers want to delay retirement past age 70 . That puts a premium on keeping your brain sharp so you don't meander off into dead-wood territory on the job. Yet mental acuity is an increasingly uphill battle for Boomers as they pass through the milestones of AARP eligibility (age 50) and into Social Security benefits eligibility (age 62 for early benefits.)

Best iPhone Apps for Boomer Brains The good news is that you can game your way to keeping your brain sharp. There is growing evidence that training the Boomer brain to learn new skills and ponder new ideas helps maintain brain power.

That's obviously catching on with the iPhone and iPod Touch crowd. Lumosity's Brain Trainer app, which features an array of memory-enchancement games and tasks, was the 14th most downloaded free app at the iTunes store as of this afternoon (While the starter app is indeed free, getting the full functionality of tracking your progress will set you back $9.99 for an annual subscription.) And I wonder who's behind making Simon Classic the #2 most-downloaded free app; kids or young boomers taking a nostalgic trip down memory-sequencing lane?
More Apps for Boomer Brains If you're looking for other types of mind games to help keep your brain firing on all synapses, here are a few more iPhone apps to check out:

• Chess With Friends Free
• Scrabble ($4.99)
• Moxie. ($0.99) A word-building game that got raves in the 148apps.com website review of word-game apps.
• Free Chinese Essentials Learning a new language is a recommended way to stretch your brain; studying up on the language of the fastest growing economy in the world might come in handy for work as well. (If Chinese doesn't float your boat, just about the entire U.N. is available in free and premium language apps at the iTunes store.)
• Math Genius Senior if you've got a mind for numbers.