When is generation x

The younger group is just now flexing their buying power. The latter group has a more extensive history and may be refinancing their mortgage and raising children. The contrast in priorities and needs is stark. The same logic can be applied to any generation that is in this stage of life or younger. As we get older, we tend to homogenize and face similar life issues.

The younger we are, the more dramatic each stage of life is. Consider the difference between someone in elementary school and high school. While they might be the same generation, they have very different views and needs.

Marketing to young generations as a single cohort will not be nearly as effective as segmenting your strategy and messaging. Each generation label serves as a shorthand to reference nearly 20 years of attitude, motivations, and historical events. Few individuals self-identify as Gen X, Millennial, or any other name. Ten years from now, the priorities of Millennials will have changed — and marketing tactics must adjust instep.

Remember, these arbitrary generational cutoff points are just that. Whatever terminology or grouping you use, the goal is to reach people with marketing messages relevant to their phase of life. In short, no matter how many letters get added to the alphabet soup, the most important thing you can do is seek to understand the soup du jour for the type of consumer you want to attract.

Before we dive into each generation, remember that the exact years born are in dispute, because there are no comparably definitive thresholds by which the later generations after Boomers are defined. But this should give you a general range to help identify what generation you belong in. The other fact to remember is that new technology is typically first adopted by the youngest generation and then is gradually adopted by the older generations.

This generation has begun to adopt more technology in order to stay in touch with family members and reconnect with old friends. While this might seem counterintuitive, it can be explained by the fact that this generation has the most wealth and is looking to help their children with their student debt. They have a belief that you should take care of your children enough to set them on the right course and don't plan on leaving any inheritance.

With more Americans outliving their retirement fund, declining pensions, and social security in jeopardy, ensuring you can successfully fund retirement is a major concern for Boomers.

However, they are also digitally savvy and spend roughly 7 hours a week on Facebook the highest of any generational cohort. They believe banking is a person-to-person business and demonstrate brand loyalty. These demands put a high strain on their resources. They are looking to reduce their debt while building a stable saving plan for the future.

Cord-cutting in favor of streaming services is the popular choice. They typically have multiple social media accounts. They prefer to shop products and features first, and have little patience for inefficient or poor service. Because of this, Millennials place their trust in brands with superior product history such as Apple and Google. This is delaying major purchases like weddings and homes. Because of this financial instability, Millennials choose access over ownership, which can be seen through their preference for on-demand services.

They want partners that will help guide them to their big purchases. Many of them grew up playing with their parents' mobile phones or tablets. They have grown up in a hyper-connected world and the smartphone is their preferred method of communication. On average, they spend 3 hours a day on their mobile device. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Generation X, which is sometimes shortened to Gen X, is the name given to the generation of Americans born between the mids and the earlys.

The exact years that comprise Gen X vary. Some researchers—demographers William Straus and Neil Howe, for example—place the exact birth years from to , whereas Gallup places the birth years between and But all agree that Gen X follows the baby boom generation and precedes Generation Y or the millennial generation. Though it's more useful for marketing than sociology, generational theory—the assumption that people born within the same time frame can be considered a group with similar views, values, tastes, and habits—and the idea of a generation gap has gained broad acceptance in the U.

The American generations covered in the theory are:. Those born after are considered Generation Z or post-millennial. Gen X numbers around 65 million, while the baby boomers and the millennials each have around 72 million members. Like the silent generation, Generation X has been defined as an "in-between" generation.

The group's earning power and savings were compromised first by the dotcom bust , and second by the financial crisis of and the Great Recession. In terms of social and political power, Generation X is sandwiched between the baby boomers, who came of age during the Vietnam and Reagan eras and the millennials of the Obama era.

Gen X overlaps with another group called the sandwich generation. Each modern generation has gotten its time in this slot, which is used to characterize middle-aged individuals who—due to longer life spans and having children later in life—find themselves supporting both aging parents and growing children simultaneously.

And they're going to need it. Nine percent of Gen Xers have no retirement savings at all. This falls far short of what the generations each expect they will need to retire. On average, Gen X households began working, saving, and investing during a period of lower investment returns than the baby boomers.

Many Gen X households began building their savings in periods of high market valuations, such as the technology bubble and dotcom bubble of the lates and in the run-up to the global financial crisis of The effects of the ensuing bear markets still weigh heavily on their portfolios.

Additionally, today's especially low-interest-rate environment has also had an adverse impact on their ability to increase financial assets. Meanwhile, the early experiences of Gen X investors with major market declines seem to have made them more risk averse.

Gen Xers' relatively lower levels of wealth will make it difficult for them to maintain their parents' consumption patterns, rising costs of education, healthcare, and property. And then there's the sandwich syndrome—the fact that this generation has reached the age when they are supporting and educating children while also providing care for aging parents.

Gen Xers now have the highest average debt of any generation, according to research by LendingTree. The retirement landscape is different for Gen X than for their parents. Once common, pension plans in the private sector are rare and have been replaced by defined-contribution plans, such as a k.

Transamerica found that, overall, workers across the three generations share financial and healthy aging-related reasons for working past age But baby boomers are more likely than the other generations to do so because they want the income. The potential for financial duress can be substantial, but steps can be taken to reduce stress, balance budgets, and mitigate the effects of unplanned life events.

Here are some recommendations for Gen X to get their financial lives in order and deal with all layers of that generational sandwich: Children, parents, and themselves.

This is vitally important if you have dependent children and do not yet have a will or other necessary documents. You do not want the fate of your dependents or your belongings to be decided by a judge in probate court.

So, now is the time to make an appointment with an estate planning attorney to get your will, living will, medical, and durable powers of attorney—and perhaps a living trust—created to ensure the smooth and quick transference of all of your dependents, possessions, and responsibilities to your heirs. And because estate settlement can be an emotionally delicate process, doing this now can allow you and your family to think through how this should be done from a calm, logical perspective.

Tend to be patriotic, oriented toward work before pleasure, respect for authority, have a sense of moral obligation. Born: to Coming of Age: Age in Current Population: 11 million in quickening decline. People in this cohort shared in a common goal of defeating the Axis powers. Gen X cohorts. Born: Coming of Age: Age in 59 to 76 Current Population: 41 million declining.

This generation had significant opportunities in jobs and education as the War ended and a post-war economic boom struck America. However, the growth in Cold War tensions, the potential for nuclear war and other never before seen threats led to levels of discomfort and uncertainty throughout the generation.

Members of this group value security, comfort, and familiar, known activities and environments. For a long time the Baby Boomers were defined as those born between and That would make the generation huge 71 million and encompass people who were 20 years apart in age.

Life experiences were completely different. Attitudes, behaviors and society were vastly different. In effect, all the elements that help to define a cohort were violated by the broad span of years originally included in the concept of the Baby Boomers. Boomers I were in or protested the War.