In 2006, the first baby boomers turned 60, unleashing a veritable tidal wave of gloomy punditry, advertising for financial services, and forecasts of impending national bankruptcy. In The Long Baby Boom, Jeff Goldsmith counters the predictions of such "catastropharians" with a far more optimistic scenario.
Drawing on evidence that most baby boomers plan on working long past age 65, Goldsmith argues that they will have a constructive impact on society over the next twenty years. By assuming a much larger portion of the financial burden of their own retirement and health costs, they will help preserve Social Security and Medicare for the less fortunate and for successive generations.
The Long Baby Boom is the first comprehensive forecast of baby boomers' career plans, health trends, and cultural and political values. Goldsmith's pro-work, pro-savings, pro-health social policy emphasizes personal responsibility without ripping the social safety net. Optimistic and innovative, The Long Baby Boom doesn't promise a cloud-free future, but it does reassure us that the sky isn't falling.
