Gen X and Money: Five Things That Set This Generation Apart

Mar 21

This generation’s refusal to be categorized earned them the “X” in their name. Their childhoods and early adulthood were in a unique historical period, as their boomer parents settled into full maturity in a changing world. They lived in households where both parents went out to work or where there was a single parent, resulting in so-called “latchkey” kids that had very different foundational experiences.

They grew up independent from being on their own and flexible from the constant changes they witnessed. Often called cynical, this generation grew up with 1970s inflation and oil crises, cruised into the 80s watching interest rates go sky-high, and at the same time, their parent’s generation hit heights of excess. By the time they hit the workforce in the 1990s, everything was coming down with a resounding thud.

But they were also the first generation to grow up with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers, and those... ...