Life Hacks Baby Boomers Wish They Had Known Early On

The process of aging is par for the course in one's life experience. The generation known as baby boomers have come to be in an era marked by innovation and technological advances. There are certain things that most baby boomers wish they had known in their youth that would make the rest of their lives much easier. We discuss these below.

1. Career Success is Possible

Many of those who are part of the baby boomer generation have put the dreams of their career on the back burner in order to fulfill their practical needs. Prior to the baby boomer generation, attaining a wonderful career was a feat that was primarily reserved for men. Baby boomers have seen dramatic advances in terms of gender equality.

Many baby boomers wish they had known just how possible it was for women to advance in the workplace. Women baby boomers wish that they had chosen a more challenging and more lucrative career than they did. They wish they had known that they were completely capable of breaking down the gender barriers and excelling in challenging executive positions.

2. Plan Ahead for Retirement

Retirement is a precarious time of life for many, including for many baby boomers. Many baby boomers of this generation realize that they should have planned more adequately for their retirement years. This means that baby boomers should have been setting aside a certain amount of money every week toward their retirement account.

While most baby boomers did have an IRA as part of their career investment, some are finding that this savings account is not adequate. Baby boomers are realizing that they should have been personally setting aside money in their own bank account for their retirement. Setting aside weekly earnings should be done as regularly as a family bedtime routine. They are also realizing that they should have been much less extravagant in their spending.

3. Home Ownership is Key

Baby boomers have come to realize that homeownership is a key aspect of personal success. During the early years of the baby boomer generation, owning a home simply was not feasible for many individuals. The more recent generations have made homeownership possible because they view it as an absolutely essential part of personal success.

Many baby boomers wish that they had consulted with a banking or loan representative in order to work through whatever blocks they had to purchase a home. They wish that they had reached out more effectively to professionals in the home buying industry in order to guarantee qualifying for a mortgage.

4. Indulge in the Finer Things

Many baby boomers wish that they would have indulged in the finer things during their youth. The millennial generation is famous for spending their income on small indulgences such as avocados or fancy stationery. This is an attribute that the baby boomers do not share with millennials.

The baby boomer generation is known for being overly practical and refraining from spending on anything but necessary items. In retrospect, many baby boomers see that their youth would have been more enjoyable had they occasionally indulged in luxury items for recreational activities.

5. Take Up a Hobby

Baby boomers are infamous for being overly practical. They were raised in a generation where work was the highest priority and all else came second. While this is certainly a smart stance to take, it can take a toll on one's mental health.

Baby boomers realize that they should have carefully chosen a hobby to participate in sheerly for the enjoyment of participation. Having a hobby is an important part of being able to escape the daily grind and recharging one's batteries. Baby boomers now realize this and some are taking up hobbies even in their older years.

Hindsight is 20/20

Overall, there are many different practices that baby boomers are finding they should have been practicing throughout their youth. In hindsight, it is easy for them to understand why they should have been setting aside money for retirement, have developed a hobby, and have indulged in finer things. They also realize that they should have been much more adamant and being able to save up for a home mortgage loan and in pursuing the best position in their career. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20.