Yes, you read that headline correctly. If you seek to prosper this year and this decade, you should consider emulating that maligned generation, the boomers.
We, the youth, find it easy to sneer at this wretched age group whose foibles are no secret. To name only a few flaws, boomers can be outmoded, quick to blame others and narcissistic, but every generation is imperfect. Why has this one been mocked relentlessly with “OK boomer,” and why does this John Haynes guy think we should imitate them?
Success summarizes my point. According to James Ellis of Magnify Money, boomers, on average, are richer than they were 20 years ago while those who classify as Millennials or Generation X are relatively worse off. Besides money, boomers also have more power. For example, our president is a boomer, as is Jeff Bezos, head of Amazon and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. Each generation will have a few individuals who stand out, but the boomers have clearly separated themselves from the crowd; therefore, in the next year or decade, consider following in their footsteps.
Much of this article’s advice comes from my father who is, himself, a boomer. There are three basic goals he recommends: fitness, finance and flossing. By shooting for these three F’s, you can step into the shoes of a boomer and set yourself up for a life of wealth and disparaging millennials.
Fitness is the most straightforward of these three. While many boomers might be unfit now, they grew up in an era of clean-cut Hollywood heroes who were all fit and slender. If you have a boomer as a boss, you can present the image of someone who is fit and put-together convince them you are not gunning for their job.
Furthermore, by improving your health, you lengthen your lifespan, allowing you to supplant your employer through sheer longevity and set yourself up for a nice, lengthy stay as the boss. As reported by Melissa Stanger of Business Insider, more attractive people earn more money. By going to the gym regularly, you can not only secure a promotion but also add more to your lifespan in the process.
What you do with that extra money as a result of the promotion is part of the next “F”: finance. Money makes the world go around, so by taking simple steps, you can accumulate wealth more effectively. One trick is earning money by spending money. By using a rewards card that gives you cash back, even as little as 1%, you can reap in a lot of cash. If you go to a certain restaurant often, you should download their app to ensure you are receiving rewards.
Small instances like these might seem like insignificant amounts, but through the magic of compound interest, the future returns will be astronomical. Boring and bland bets like the S&P 500 will not blow you away with their performance, but drab indexes can surprise you in the long run.
According to the United States Department of Labor, dentists make over $150,000 a year with the field set for expansion in the future. Why? The obvious explanation is that Americans do not take care of their teeth enough. While many of us brush our teeth, flossing is less common. On top of that, the money you save from visiting the dentist by flossing can be put into that investment account.
According to Steve Sternberg of US News, the CDC found almost one-third of Americans never floss. Dental surgery can run into the thousands of dollars, and I am pessimistic enough, or realistic enough, to suspect universal healthcare is still a distant dream for the United States. Flossing daily can be a chore, but, without the overwhelming costs of oral procedures, you can save you tens of thousands by flossing daily. Flossing, like finance and fitness, is not a quick fix, but rather a lifelong habit which will almost certainly pay off.
If you have not been convinced yet, that does not bother me. College is a time to enjoy life and take a walk on the wild side. Flossing, fitness and finance are more abstract and duller than other alternatives you have in front of you; however, for us “zoomers” to rise up and crush the boomers, we must imitate and infiltrate them before instilling ourselves as the hegemon.