A rosy article about the finances for Gen-X'ers.
 

Damn you msn making me sign in to read an article...

Am I misunderstanding that part? Shouldn't you expect parents to have more wealth? They've had ~20 years more to save up.

I think in previous generations the country was always doing so well that the younger generations were always wealthier than their parents. I'm pretty sure we are the first generation to not be able to live up to the same standards as our parents (without going into debt to do it, which is what most of us do).

Fortunately there are more two income families so theoretically that should make up for it....

RIGHT?!???

But at what point are you comparing?

Us at 30 should have more wealth than our parents at 30, but its absurd to say us at 30 should have more welath than our parents at 60...

We generally have more drains on income. Health insurance, for one. Also cell phones and data plans, internet, cable/satellite. I'm pretty sure the first was taken care of by my father's employer (seems like something a union would bargain for). Cell phones didn't exist, nor did the internet. Land line was it. We had cable, though probably not until my parents were well into their thirties. Even then, I imagine it was fairly cheap.

Not that my parents have any wealth, mind you. They did make considerably less. But they had fewer expenditures.

I think the concern is the enormous increase in the gap between under35s and over65s. In 1984 is was about 10:1 ... by 2009 it was 47:1.

The Far-Reaching Effects of the Generational Wealth Gap - US News

edit to add: That article is from a couple of years ago but it was a handy easy reference point.