It’s time for the Baby Boomers to live up to their name and create a BOOM! No one in good conscience can say our country is on a path to create the next “Greatest Generation.” The heroes of Word War II and the families that stepped up in their absence raising families and filling the factories symbolize what it truly means to be American. The values of duty, honor and country were talked about and instilled across every kitchen table, congregation and classroom. We must recognize a distinction between innovation and ignorance when determining the direction for our country. Technology can be a useful tool, but only if it’s rooted in values that will promote stronger families, communities and our country. It seems innovation has occurred at a rapid rate but at the expense of these values, which is why it’s time for the baby boomers to make a BOOM!
Perspective is everything. With several generations post-baby boomer, we are years away from losing the first-hand perspective on those values that made this country great. You don’t have to drive down the street very far to see a now hiring sign on the store window or watch the TV for very long until a commercial plays highlighting a hiring bonus and other benefits of an available position at a company. The Do-it-yourself, hard work and self-reliant mentality that was at the core of the Greatest Generation and instilled in the Boomers has certainly taken a back seat to dependency in generations of late.
I’ve been fortunate to hear the stories of what it was like to work in the coal mines in the mountains of Pennsylvania and how something that would seem insignificant today was considered a luxury less than a century ago. More importantly, the baby boomers I’m fortunate enough to have as family instilled these values that I not only embrace, but am passing on to my kids. If nothing else, the values of duty, honor, country and hard work is something no one can ever take away from you. It’s these values that build the foundation for disciplines in other areas of life such as finances. When we take on a victim mindset, place labels on everything and everyone, we lose all control and are subject to the policies and actions of others. We must put control back in the hands of the individual to re-kindle the American spirit and overcome the challenges facing our nation today.
You might be wondering by now, what is this Financial Advisor doing writing like he’s a columnist in the opinion section of the paper and what does this all have to do with money? The truth is it’s not an opinion, it’s written about in economic books everywhere. It is a sobering reality and truthfully has everything to do with money. Although most schools don’t require a basic economics class, I hope we can all see that to survive and thrive as a country we can’t continue to have more money being spent that earned or to incentivize dependency over self-reliance. If people can’t continue to overdraft their bank account without a penalty, then we can’t expect to continue our irresponsible fiscal policies as a country and expect no consequences.
While the Baby Boomers have certainly done their fair share throughout their lifetime, I’m calling on them one more time to take the lead. As a country, we need to shake things up so younger generations can gain some perspective and rediscover the values that made the country the greatest nation in the world. We are at a tipping point of going from do-it-yourself to not my problem, from hard work to who will work, and self-reliance to complete dependency. It seems the spirit is broken and we need to find some resilience to recover. Boomers, make a boom. Share your stories, provide perspective, get involved in the community and help bring us back to the values that makes our country the symbol of greatness for the world.