More Gen X Retirement Woes + Current Gen-X News

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Retirement Woes: Gen X Retirement

Retirement May Be Impossible for Generation X is a familiar story that is written at least twice a year by the Associated Press and appears on every major news site in one form or another. This is not news, in the literal sense, because few Gen Xers believe they’ll ever be able to retire.

Excerpt:

As kids, they sat on gas lines in the backs of their parents’ cars. As young adults, they saw the stock market crash, and when it finally came time to settle down, they bought a house at the peak of the housing bubble and then were faced with the worst economy since the Great Depression.

It’s no shock that Generation X…may get short changed in their golden years.

Tammy Erickson of the Harvard Business Review has also weighed in. She says we’ve hit another bump in the road. Excerpt:

Here’s the bad news for Gen X: at each point thus far, you’ve drawn a pretty short straw. Your timing — at least in the context of contemporary generations, and through no fault of your own — could hardly have been worse. Not only did your childhood years coincide with social changes that significantly eroded trust and idealism, but during the early years of your adulthood, you have hit various economic landmarks at unfavorable points in the cycle.

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What’s In A Name? 

Here’s a link to a story on a Southern California public radio station, 89.3 KPCC. It’s by Gen Xer Josie Huang who discusses why generations get the names they get. I enjoyed this piece and the audio is available, but here’s what annoys me about it. She refers to Generation Y as Millennials. While this is the name popular generational theorists assigned them, they are much more commonly referred to as Gen Y.

According to Google Keyword, “Millennials” draws about 50,000 searches a month on Google. Gen Y draws 1.5 million.

Histories of Things to Come
Check out this great post on the Commodore 64 and the death of its inventor, Jack Tramiel. The content on this site is excellent, intelligent, well-researched, and original.

The Generation X Librarian
The Internet has had a devastating impact on so many professions from travel agents to newspaper journalists. Somehow, the librarian continues to thrive. Libraries continue their evolution to community cultural center and the advent of the Kindle and online books, etc., is not slowing their influence. Last night, while my 14-year-old attended a gymnastics class in far west Oklahoma City, I stopped into the Bethany Library with my four-year-old. The place was buzzing.

News on Generation Z

Meet Gen Z, The Most Savvy Bunch On Earth (News Herald, Australia)

Generation Z: The Biggest Cheaters Since Homer (Getting Smart)

Get Ready for Generation Z: They’re Texting, Tweeting and Totally Game (AOL Jobs)

Dear Generation Z (This one is funny!) A blog post by a mom to her Gen Z son.