What Will the Baby Boomers Leave Behind?

No cohort in American history has been more celebrated than the 80+ million babies born here from 1946 to 1964. Now, in an unprecedented financial shift, millennials are on the cusp of becoming the richest generation in history, inheriting an expected $90 trillion over the next two decades. This might prove to be the least of the Boomer legacy. Statistically unstoppable, Boomers first challenged the hidden hypocrisy of previous generations and stopped an unjustified war. Next, undermining sacred social and religious institutions, they helped create a technology-based version of reality—all the while forcing Congress to adopt a fresh national agenda emphasizing liberation for minorities and women, environmental warnings, social inclusiveness for all and generous programs ranging from Social Security to the War on Poverty and Drugs. Cleverly shifting the burden of paying for the “Great Society” onto other bottom lines, they are retiring rich, satisfied and confident as ever.

This class will comprise background lectures with the audience being invited to share their intentions, hopes and dreams for leaving the world a better place than they found. We will explore several questions: What besides money might Boomers bequeath? Have we learned better lessons? What over-promises did we rightly dismiss? What alternatives are we suggesting? What mistakes are ours?

Rick Roberts’ career spans 38 years in Boston's advertising and public relations community, where was a creative director and president of his own agency. He holds degrees from Lehigh, Iowa and Harvard universities. He is a veteran adjunct teacher at Emerson College and the U.S. Army. Rick has earned numerous industry awards and authored two award-winning books on mass media. BabyBoomerPress.com.