Leonard Hansen

Willie Sutton faced the potential of return fire in every one of his 100 bank robberies from the late 1920s to 1952, stealing $2 million during one of the most successful crime sprees of this century. Because he robbed banks using a revolver or Thompson submachine gun, Sutton spent most of his adult life in prison. Sutton was often asked, “Willie, why do you rob banks?” A newspaper reporter wrote that his reply was simple: “Because that’s where the money is.” Today, 80 percent of personal wealth in financial institutions and half of all discretionary income is owned by persons age 50-plus, according to Age Wave, a nationally-recognized research organization. Mature adults are where the money is. The picking is remarkably easy and thieves don’t have to display weapons when trying to take it. Even if caught in the act, few ever spend a day in prison. Today’s robbers of mature adults promote investment and other scams, using the Internet, telemarketing and direct mail to steal billions of dollars under false pretenses. The bandits don’t