Confessions of a Baby Boomer

Okay, already! I confess it. I'm a baby boomer. You know. We are the generation that changed everything. We brought you the 1960's and 70's with all the social change that came about. We revolutionized forever attitudes about money, family relationships, society, religion, and the government. We lived through the civil rights struggles that brought about radical and permanent social change in America and elsewhere. We fought the war in Viet Nam. Many of us were at Woodstock and experimented openly for the first time with sex, drugs and marijuana. We were the last generation to be drafted into the US military. We believed that our parents' generation could not be trusted. One of our favorite sayings was, "Never trust anyone over 30 years old." We became fiercely individualistic and demanded the rights to privacy to keep out the snooping eyes of those in authority.

Economically, from our earliest days in childhood, we felt entitled to a good life and a good living. Why not? For many of us our parents were living the American dream. You know what that was - own your own home, have a good job with a steady income. Father goes to work every day and mother stays at home to take care of the kids and keep the wheels from coming off the family. We were idealistic. We believed in a world of optimism and hope. I have heard a sociologist say that we were the first generation to truly believe that our lives would be better than that of our parents.

Maybe it isn't so hard to understand how disillusioned and cynical we became when you consider that all the blind optimism and idealism that we grew up with was shattered by the events of our youth - the deaths of JFK, his brother RFK, the whole civil rights movement and the death of Dr. King. On top of all of these were the national crises of confidence surrounding the war in Viet Nam and Watergate.

We grew up to become the leaders of the nation's economy. Just by our very numbers we have influenced marketing and the development of consumer goods from the time we were babies and the advent of Pampers. Another boomer has said, "We do not influence the American economy. We ARE the American economy." Boomers have been called "the pig in the python." You can see how our generation has moved along by noticing trends in advertising. We have always been a target. Boomers are the largest age group in the USA. One American in four is a boomer. We hold a majority of all the jobs in America and control over 50% of all consumer spending. Now that we are getting older, have you noticed how many ads you see for retirement related services or products? There is an increased number of ads for Medicare supplements, retirement communities, stair lifts, electric scooters, and the like.

Get the picture. Starting in January, 2011, and for the next 20 years, 10,000 Americans will turn 65 years old EVERY SINGLE DAY. America is turning "gray." The sad part is that most boomers have not adequately prepared for retirement. Their natural, lifelong optimism and idealism has taught them that somehow, things will work out all right, and they ignored what was coming. On the other hand, their natural skepticism makes them wary of "get rich quick" schemes and scams, but at the same time some also are looking for a genuine way to make life better for themselves and their families. The good news is there are some real opportunities out there if they are sought after diligently enough.

So, what is the future of America going to be like? I don't know. I have no crystal ball. However, as long as there are boomers in this world, you may be sure they will help to shape it.