We don't hear enough about this generation with the current obsession over Millennials and Baby boomers....I am of this generation so I know first-hand! Gen X is the demographic that follows the Baby Boomers and precedes Millennials, the forgotten middle child? There are about 65 million Gen Xers in the United States as of 2019. Most are the children of the Silent Generation and early Baby Boomers and are also often the parents of Millennials and Generation Z. Here are some GEN-X notes that may be of use to you:

1.  Around 72% of Gen-Xers own a home. In 2022, Gen X owned 33.2% of all real estate in the U.S., while baby boomers owned 43.2%.

2.  The collective net worth of Gen X in the US is around $42 trillion, which is 25.8% of the total wealth in the country....making Gen X the second wealthiest generation in the US, after the baby boomers (76 million people).

3.  Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, has been called the "latchkey generation" because many were left caring for themselves after school while their parents worked. 

4.  Gen X was impacted by a divorce rate that more than doubled during their youth, and more women entered the workforce with the rise of dual income households. Gen Xers have a lower divorce rate than other generations because they tend to wait longer to get married, or choose not to marry at all.

5.  45% of Gen Xers have not done any retirement planning and 66% worry that they won’t grow their workplace retirement plan as much as they’d hoped. Which implies they will work longer and later and stay in their homes longer.

6. Gen Xers are the first generation for whom 401(k) plans are the norm, the first generation on their own to save for retirement rather than having an employer handle the task. The parents of Gen X in the US are likely to be in their late 60s to 70s or older and are beginning to require health-related assistance. They have already begun inheriting part of the $80 trillion generational wealth transfer from parents and grandparents. Sometimes this is the homes of parents/grandparents that provide retirement funding.

7.  Gen Xers may have some advantages the boomers didn’t have when it comes to extending their working years as they have established their networks and now are able to work from different places including home, which allows them to extend their careers and earning power.....IFA: Income from Anywhere. (via a smartphone or internet connectivity)

8.  Increases in life expectancy means the retirement stakes are higher for Gen X who may live longer than boomers. Their kids are leaving for college or have left already. They also LOOK younger than past generations as Botox - amongst other 'things' - has been around now for two decades....and they account for about 45% of all cosmetic procedure spending. Gen Xers are known for being beauty-conscious and are the fastest-growing beauty spenders. Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt do NOT look like the 'traditional' 60-year-old largely due to some 'help'.....

9. Gen Xers are known for being tech-savvy and social media-active.

10. Gen X holds the largest share of global spending power at 23.5%. In the U.S., Gen X had an average annual expenditure of $95,692 in 2023, the highest of all the generations. They value authenticity, quality, and a balance of tradition and innovation. 

 -Leonard Steinberg