This Week in CQ Researcher

Aging Baby Boomers by Alan Greenblatt, October 19, 2007

Will the ‘youth generation' redefine old age?

In January, the oldest baby boomers will turn 62 – and become eligible to collect Social Security benefits. For the next 18 years, a member of the baby boom generation – the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 – will reach that age every eight seconds.

Boomers have long been famous for their desire to stay or at least act young. What will they be like as seniors? Many predict they will reshape the nation's view of old age, as healthier boomers continue to work and stay active longer than their parents. Others worry that the vast expansion of the nation's senior population will put unaffordable strains on government entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare.

• Can boomers afford to retire?
• Will boomers bankrupt America ?
• Will boomers change the nature of aging?

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