Monday, September 22, 2014

Gen X: Higher Incomes, Less Wealth

A study of the upward mobility of Generation X reveals contradictory trends. Although the incomes of Gen Xers are higher than their parents, they are not as wealthy. This is true especially of college graduates: 82 percent have higher incomes than their parents, but only 30 percent have greater wealth.

What accounts for this disparity? One factor is student debt. Although the education debt of Gen Xers is manageable on a day-to-day basis, notes the report, it is limiting their wealth accumulation and may hamper their ability to send their own children to college—the troubling "generational reach" of students loans.

Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts, A New Financial Reality—The Balance Sheets and Economic Mobility of Generation X

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