After American soldiers returned home from World War II,  the United States experienced a "boom in births”.

The Baby boomer generation is defined as those born between the years of 1946 and 1964.

Many of us believe the true Baby Boomers grew up with our most impressionable years being in the 1960s and ‘70s and today we are in our 50s and early 60's.

For example, in 1940, there were 2,559 thousand (or 2,559,000 - that's 2.6 million) births.  This information comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census refer to U.S. births only.
You can see a "boom" in 1946, when births went from 2.8 to 3.4 million.
Now this is amazing…every 7 Seconds" another Baby Boomer turns 50 !


For the 5-year period between 1956 and 1960, inclusive, 21.2 million boomers were born, nearly 1.5x  the number born between 1941 and 1945, and the largest for any 5-year period in the 20th century.
Boomers today represent 28% of the U.S. population. But in 1964, they represented about 40% of the population. In other words, in 1964 more than a third of the population was under 19 years old! No wonder the baby boomers attracted so much attention.

The Aging of the Boomers 
Using the years 1946 through 1964 as boundaries, boomers are now (in 2009) between 45 and 63 years old.

As of 1996, when the Boomers were between 32 and 50, the Census Bureau reported the age of Americans as follows. Again, the number for each age group is in thousands.
We are amused when visitors write to us ask what effect the boomers are having on the economy.

Where do we go on vacation? Everywhere. How do we get there? Every way possible.

Summary:
There were 76.1 million Americans between the ages of 32 and 50 in 1996. That represents about 28% of the U.S population. At the lower end of this range, the number of males is nearly the same as the number of females. But at age 50, there are 1.05 females for every male.

Some say the leading edge of Boomers (born between 1946-1954) were catered to you in their youth and think of themselves as “special”.  But, just as we entered our formative years we had to deal with significant events; the assassination of President John Kennedy – and closely followed by the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I bet if you close your eyes, you can see exactly where you were when you received the horrific news of these three events.

Some of us reacted by challenging authority and the “establishment” and focusing on ourselves and defending causes.  To this day, many seek new experiences and fulfillment.  How many of us thought about joining the Peace Corps?

Because many of us are individualistic, we are seeking:

• A sense of purpose Connection
• Opportunity to learn and grow
• Ways to stay vital and health
• Share our experiences and knowledge with others
• Seeking more

But many do not know what they are seeking.  Some work because they need the money; some are defined by their achievements and want to share their knowledge and wisdom and more and more of us do not plan to retire – at least not in the traditional sense.  Many of us want to maintain a sense of identity. 

Many Boomers will be seeking options to move in and out of work, community relationships and lifelong learning and sharing activities. 

Retirement has turned into a new and exciting journey. 

Not certain of your journey?  Let me help you understand who you are and identify what you want to achieve.

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