"Seventy-six million Baby Boomers are careening toward retirement in the U.S. Demographic shifts toward aging populations are taking place around the Western world, as a variety of factors--biological, technological, medical, and socio-cultural--are extending life spans. Meanwhile, birth rates are declining. The scaremongers argue that this generational shift is going to be disastrous: It will result in skyrocketing tax rates, lower retirement and health benefits, higher inflation, increased unemployment and poverty, political instability, and a host of other societal ills. But will it? In Boomer Bust?, Robert Hudson assembles leading authors from fields such as economics, political science, and finance to separate fact from fiction, highlight the terms of debate, and showcase innovative policies that will prevent disaster from occurring.

“A lucid and vivid account of the combined flawed social policies and ingrained corporate attitudes that have brought the US economy to its knees.” —Dr. Ronald Manheimer, former executive director, North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement Baby Boomer Bust? examines and analyzes the meltdown of 2008/2009 from economic, political, and social perspectives and illuminates how the meltdown has directly impacted Baby Boomers—once known as the generation of promise, but now the generation of panic. It examines the downturn’s impact on Boomers’ lifestyles, dreams, aspirations, and future plans. Baby Boomer Bust? raises some provocative questions regarding the generations ability to survive the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression “A revealing insight into the effects of the recent economic downturn on the very generation that helped to create one of the world’s most powerful and influential economies. Mr. Chiocchi’s examination brings into sharp relief some of the more salient, and subtle, social-consequences of one of the greatest economic disasters in the history of Western civilization.” —Michael J. Formica, MS, MA, EdM, psychotherapist, social scientist “A sobering view of the underside of the economic meltdown.” —Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO, Grandparents.com

From topics like Social Security to older people rejoining the workforce to the elderly as a political lobby, this two-volume set covers the gamut of economic, political, financial, and business issues related to aging. Besides a demographic and social profile of the Boomer generation, sections cover Boomers and: --The Economy: Savings rates, financial prospects, work and retirement, taxes. --Aging: Health care risks, labor-force participation, relations with other generations, age discrimination. --Public Policy: Entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security, private pensions, provision for chronic care and disability, flexible work policies. --Personal Finance: "Financial gerontology," entrepreneurship, financial planning, estate planning, work redesign. --Civic Challenges: Volunteerism, life-long education, positive aging, philanthropy. -Society: Generational conflict, living "small," mobility challenges, elder care, employment in geriatric fields. The Boomer generation will leave one of the largest footprints the world has yet seen. In retirement, as in all else, this generation is blazing a path affecting succeeding generations profoundly. Boomer Bust? charts a path through the thicket of personal and public policy choices facing not just Baby Boomers but all of society."--pub. desc.

The goal of this volume is to examine development in middle age from the perspective of baby boomers -- a unique cohort in the United States defined as those individuals born from 1946 to 1962. This is the largest cohort ever to enter middle age in Western society, and they currently represent approximately one-third of the total U.S. population. The Baby Boomers Grow Up provides contemporary and comprehensive perspectives of development of the baby boomer cohort as they proceed through midlife. Baby boomers continue to exert a powerful impact on the media, fiction, movies, and even popular music, just as they were an imposing force in society from the time of their entry into youth. As these individuals enter the years normally considered to represent midlife, they are redefining how we as a society regard adults in their middle and later years. This volume features several unique aspects. First, the literature reviewed focuses specifically on research relevant to baby boomers and their development as adults, rather than a global perspective on middle age. Second, the volume takes into account the diversity within the boomer cohort, such as social class, race, and education. In addition, quantitative and qualitative developmental changes occurring from the forties to the fifties and the sixties are considered. Differences in leading and trailing edge boomers are likewise addressed. Ideal for researchers in adult development and graduate seminars on adult development, The Baby Boomers Grow Up will also appeal to adult educators, human resource personnel, health professionals and service providers, and clinical psychologists and counselors.

Seventy-six million Baby Boomers are careening toward retirement in the United States. Demographic shifts toward aging populations are taking place around the Western world, as a variety of factors—biological, technological, medical, and sociocultural—are extending life spans. Meanwhile, birth rates are declining. The scaremongers argue that this generational shift is going to be disastrous: It will result in skyrocketing tax rates, lower retirement and health benefits, higher inflation, increased unemployment and poverty, political instability, and a host of other societal ills. But will it? In Boomer Bust?, Robert Hudson assembles leading authors from fields such as economics, political science, and finance to separate fact from fiction, highlight the terms of debate, and showcase innovative policies that will prevent disaster from occurring. From topics like Social Security to older people rejoining the workforce to the elderly as a political lobby, this two-volume set covers the gamut of economic, political, financial, and business issues related to aging. The Boomer generation will leave one of the largest footprints the world has yet seen. In retirement, as in all else, this generation is blazing a path affecting succeeding generations profoundly. Boomer Bust? charts a path through the thicket of personal and public policy choices facing not just Baby Boomers but all of society.

This engaging collection of essays explores the many ways Americans of every race, class, gender, and political leaning experienced the Baby Boom. This revealing new work goes inside the Baby Boom generation to look at how everyday people within the boomer demographic changed—and were changed by—the course of American history. Baby Boom: People and Perspectives does not focus on one single historic moment, but rather follows different groups within the Baby Boom generation as they move through history. From the generation gap of the 1950s to the civil rights movement, from Vietnam and the counterculture of the 1960s to Watergate and the Reagan era, and from the Clinton years to September 11th and the recent resurgence of conservatism, this insightful social history shows how Baby Boomers across the breadth of American society experienced and impacted the same historic events differently.

The Boomers are the generation that changed everything, from economics to politics to popular culture. This book examines the myriad ways and long-reaching consequences of the now fully "grown up" Baby Boomer generation on America. Once upon a time, the members of the Baby Boomer generation were young, idealistic, and hungry to change the world. And they did create sweeping, irreversible changes throughout American society—but probably not in the ways their younger selves imagined they would. Now that the Boomers are in their late-adult or retirement years, their tremendous legacy can clearly be perceived. In retrospect, the paths the members of this generation took to come to power—and how they came to terms with that power—are also apparent. This single-volume work supplies a broad yet detailed critical guide to the Boomer Generation, containing essays on key people, moments, and phenomena not only during the Boomers' 1960s heyday but also their extensive influences on American culture decades afterward. The contributors address key topics such as the rise of feminism; Civil Rights; the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement; the Beatles, the Grateful Dead, and rock 'n roll; gay rights; idealism, narcissism, and materialism; the influence of television on America, and vice versa; and the transition of Boomers from being "Yippies" to "Yuppies." This work is an ideal text for students in undergraduate or graduate courses in television studies, media studies, cultural studies, and American studies; and is highly appropriate as a supplemental text in literature, history, and philosophy surveys.

"In Search of the Baby Boomer Generation," by Rick Bava, is an intriguing look at one of the most interesting generations in American history. Rick Bava traveled the country for two years seeking the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of Baby Boomers from all walks of life and socioeconomic classes to create this inspiring commentary about the Baby Boomer Generation. The author, himself a Baby Boomer, brings his own unique experience to the book, as well as capturing the stories and perspectives of the hundreds of Baby Boomers he interviewed. The book looks at where Baby Boomers have been, their rich history, and the cultural aspects so important to the Baby Boomer Generation. This book covers the topics of most importance to Baby Boomers today and the issues most on their minds as they look towards the future. Baby Boomers will identify with what they read in "In Search of the Baby Boomer Generation," and those wishing to study the generation will gain insight from this book.