THE LARGEST GENERATION IN HISTORY By Jane Beckerdite Time capsules. Peace signs. Yuppies. Every seven seconds another baby boomer turns 50. The largest generation in history, baby boomers boast an alliance of 78 million people born between 1946-1964. And the numbers increase 56 percent every year, and will, until 2011. The largest consumer spending group that doles out $900 billion a year, baby boomers will control the vast majority of the nation’s wealth within the next 20 years. Baby boomers, now 40 to 59, are in their peak earning years. Though this age group has within its own ranks a generation gap and thus cannot be defined as a single entity, there are similarities among these masses. Many baby boomers are taking cruises, buying second homes and practicing yoga. Baby boomers are both our mothers and our brothers. And they seldom apologize for much. “I am surprised at how quickly I reached the venerable age of 45,” says Kari Rae Saunders, communications coordinator for Weatherine Inc. “But with women still having babies at 50, Barbara Walters continuing to interview the stars, and the Queen of England unwilling to give up her throne, 45 is young. I’m excited that times and attitudes towards aging are changing. I don’t feel middle aged. I don’t look middle aged. I don’t act middle aged. It’s just a number.” Born in 1959, Brad Bloomquist, marketing manager with D&K Healthcare Resources belongs to several auto clubs and enjoys high performance driving instruction and racing. Bloomquist and his wife have no children, own their home and frequently dine out. “My wife and I each have several interests that keep us busy several nights a week, and work often keeps us both late at the office. Someday, we would like to be in a situation where one of us could work to keep some income coming in and keep up health insurance. We would like to be able to maintain enough of an income to continue traveling and have our hobbies,” he says. The Bloomquists travel extensively to England and throughout the United States. The couple rides bicycles to stay in shape, and offer a clear-cut explanation as to why they specifically chose to not have children. “We didn’t want to give up the lifestyle we prefer. We like spending time doing things together. No strings attached. We like the ability to change plans at the last moment, purchase tickets to an event the night before, and the ability to fly or drive to another city for the weekend–not having to plan for anything but ourselves. We have considered getting a pet, perhaps a dog, but are concerned about wanting the added responsibility that entails. Maybe we should look at goldfish,” he jokes. A researcher and sociologist at Washington University School of Medicine, Layne Simpson, born in 1959, is an Atlanta Braves fan, enjoys bicycling, the arts, and politics. Simpson, who resides with her two cats, plans to someday retire to the mountains in North Georgia. Because of her background, she has an embedded curiosity of her own generation. “I have been interested in studying the baby boomers as two separate groups. My hypothesis has been that the first half of the baby boom generation has done economically much better than the second half of the baby boomers, although I’ve never tested this thesis.”  At 41, Shari Vogt is a baby boomer who is helping to care for her elders. Vogt is a freelance writer and artist who lives with her partner, two dogs and two cats. The couple owns a home and recently moved back to St. Louis to care for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease. “My father has Alzheimer’s and my mom is on her own for the first time in a long time and is needing a lot more help,” Vogt says. Like their younger counterparts, many baby boomers don’t let age prevent an excellent physique. Vogt says that although she doesn’t exercise as much as she should, she does enjoy dancing, swimming, and yoga. “The only way I can get myself to do it, is if I enjoy it. I do enjoy feeling my body move and stretch.” Because the baby boomer lifestyle allows for more freedom, many people in this generation are natural explorers and wanderers. They have the time for it. This could explain why so many people from this age bracket have taken to investigating their world. Antarctica is a favorite baby boomer destination by cruise ship. “Baby boomers are 100 percent of our market,” says Doug Bolnick, manager of public relations with St. Louis-based Clipper Cruise Line. “We have several favorite destinations for baby boomers and they are Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands where Charles Darwin did his studies, and the European rivers. What appeals to the baby boomer is where you go, not so much as how you get there. The people who take our trips have done vacations, but they come to us because they want to learn about a place,” Bolnick says. Perhaps what is most predictable about baby boomers is their non predictability. A single generation whose age spans almost 19 years, it would be infantile to define this faction by age alone. Baby Boomers Reinvent Retirement According to a recent study conducted for Merrill Lynch, Boomers are living longer, thus plans for traditional retirement need to be reexamined. Some of the findings include: 76% of boomers intend to keep working and earning in retirement, on average they expect to “retire” from their current job/career at around 64 and then launch into an entirely new job or career. Most boomers (65%) will stop working for pay and retire in the traditional sense at some point. However, that phase is more likely to begin in the late 60’s, than at age 60 or 65. Boomers ideal work arrangement in retirement would be to repeatedly “cycle” between periods of work and leisure (42%), followed by part-time work (16%), start their own business (13%) and full-time work (6%). Only 17% hope to never work for pay again. 37% of the boomer generation indicate that continued earnings is a very important part of the reason they intend to keep working, 67% assert that continued mental stimulation and challenge is what will motivate them to stay in the game. Boomers have deep concerns for the well being of their children, their parents and their communities. Boomers are now 10 times more likely to “put others first” (43%) than “put themselves first” (4%). Boomers are three times more worried about a major illness (48%), their ability to pay for healthcare (53%) or winding up in a nursing home (48%), than about dying (17%). Accumulating the resources boomers believe they need for retirement freedom (81%), rather than age (56%) or any other variable, was cited as the most decisive factor for when they choose to retire. Source: The New Retirement Survey conducted for Merrill Lynch by Harris Interactive® in collaboration with Age Wave.

April 2005 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meet “PR Boomer” Laurna Godwin. Antarctica is a favorite baby boomer spot. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Steven Teitelbaum supports recruiting great faculty and great students. St. Louis hoops it up with the 2005 NCAA Final Four. Ken Steinback believes in going the extra mile.