Tony's Blog

Barack Obama will be our third baby boomer president (Obama was born on August 4, 1961). Bill Clinton was our first (August 19, 1946). George W. Bush was number two (July 6, 1946).

76 million Americans were born between 1946 and 1964, the post-World War II period dubbed the "baby boom."  Clinton, Bush and Obama share a place in history as members of a generation born to an America which fought for and won the peace, a prosperous America whose suburban areas saw vacant land morph into a place to call home.

Ohio History Central does a nice job describing Americans' migration from cities to the suburbs, during this period.  "This process increased following World War II. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, many Americans of all races, for the first time, had the ability to attend college and, thus, to earn better salaries. Americans, especially white ones, prospered during World War II, as both men and women found employment to aid the United States' war effort. With the war's conclusion, many workers, especially women, found their positions terminated, but families had accumulated enough wealth to leave the inner cities to move to suburbs. Improvements in transportation, the development of interstates during the 1950s, and the increasing accessibility of cars, all spurred this movement from the cities to outlying neighborhoods. Americans wanted their own homes with green grass. They were increasingly unsatisfied with apartment living, paying their wages to live in someone else's building."

But notice these three presidents were born at the opposite ends of the baby boom. Here's my point, and my question. The baby boom years are not monolithic in their influence. Boomers born at the beginning of this period in the mid-40's and early-50's (Clinton and Bush) were shaped, in part, by a national pride that the U.S. had won the war, and was admired internationally as a super power with a moral core.

For boomers, like Obama, born near the end of this period, early childhood influences were soon to be borne out of the fight, often ugly, and sometimes fatal, for civil rights and an end to U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

So, here's what I'm wondering. How was each man's world view shaped by a set of different circumstances that marked the beginning and end of the what's considered the same generation?

Jim Cramer's a smart guy. He's host of CNBC's Mad Money, commentator for TheStreet.com, "Bottom Line" columnist for New York Magazine, a graduate of Harvard, an attorney, and former founder and owner of Cramer Berkowitz, a hedge fund that made him more money than God. And, at 53, he's a boomer whose got a lot left in the tank.

He's pretty hard not to like. He's passionate, entertaining, and amid all the bluster when he's guiding viewers in what to buy and what to sell --- you get the sense that he's not in it to take the money and run. I mean, the guy really seems to care.

But, with Wall Street having a great time seeing to it that investors pop an ever increasing amount of Prozac, Cramer's had a bad couple of weeks.

Newsweek slammed Cramer for, in its words, "four months after advising viewers to "buy buy buy," hysterical CNBC stock picker Jim Cramer says oops, it's time to pull your money out the market." And, in a self-serving advertising campaign, Fox pulled no punches in attacking Cramer. "The last thing you need is bad advice," Fox concluded. "The last thing you need is CNBC's Jim Cramer."

These attacks are unfair and irresponsible, and stir up even greater fear at a time when investors are frightened enough. Right now, we need calm, measured guidance, not hyperbole. In my opinion, Cramer's advise last week on NBC's Today Show (the root of this criticism) to sell ahead of the market's worst week since the depression was, well, sound advice.

What do you think?

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you're not alone. You're one of 76 million Americans born in the post-World War II period, during what's called the "baby boom."

That would make 47-year-old Barack Obama, born on August 4, 1961, a baby boomer. So, would you like to vote early --- for fun? If you're looking for an unscientific read on how your fellow boomers are leaning as we approach Election Day on November 4th, check out "Aging Hipsters" online, a website chock full of baby boomer information, including a spot where you can cast your vote for president.

The question: If the Presidential election of 2008 were held today, who would you vote for? Click the campaign button on the home page to vote.

OK, you're in your early 50's. More frequently than you'd like to admit you wake up with a new ache, scratching your graying head wondering "where did that come from?" Well, you can still dream big. And here's proof.

This is from regardinghorses.com. Japanse Equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu is the oldest athlete competing at the Beijing Olympics. At 67-years-old, Hiroshi is "...a dressage rider for the Japanese equestrian team. His first Olympics was in 1964, where he placed 40th in the show jumping competition. It’s been 44 years since Hoketsu’s Olympic debut, and in that time he’s been busy running large pharmaceutical companies, including the Japan division of Johnson & Johnson, prior to his retirement in 2002."

Keep hitting the gym! Did anyone say London 2012?

Sandy Mall is a baby boomer. He can remember the days of idealistic fury, of wanting to change the world and make it a better place. Mall is trying to do just that. Ironically, he’s committed himself to helping out the very people “his generation” often thought were part of the problem. Now at 54, he’ll tell you he’s not the bad guy, but one of the good guys. “We are living longer. Longevity brings a variety of different financial and legal planning challenges. I want to do my part to make sure baby boomers make the right choices to insure their quality of life,” says Mall.

How does he do it?  Well, Sandy is the founder and senior partner of Mall Malisow & Cooney, PC, the Holistic ElderCare & Estate Planning law firm in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Simply put, he’s an estate planning and eldercare attorney, focused on providing legal services to people 50 and up ---- services including eldercare law, wills and trusts, estate planning, durable powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney, special needs law and guardianships and conservatorships.

If you have questions about these and other baby boomer related topics, visit Mall’s “Ask the Attorney” forum at http://asktheattorney.experienceseniorpower.com/. It’s free!