Gen X Adopts Backward Retirement Planning, Using $500 Exercise to Revive Old Hobbies
Updated
Updated · Upworthy · Jul 24
Gen X Adopts Backward Retirement Planning, Using $500 Exercise to Revive Old Hobbies
2 articles · Updated · Upworthy · Jul 24
Summary
Gen X retirees are increasingly planning around activities they already know they enjoy, rather than betting on new pursuits in retirement, financial planner Benjamin Brandt said.
Brandt contrasts that with many Boomers, who retired “forward” into imagined hobbies such as golf or gardening and sometimes found those plans unsatisfying once retirement began.
The shift reflects both observation and money pressure: Gen X has watched Boomers’ mixed results and often relies on 401(k)s instead of pensions, leaving less room for costly trial and error.
A $500 “time machine” exercise—asking clients what they would have bought at age 13—helps surface durable interests, from music and skateboarding to tabletop games and travel.
The approach suggests Gen X is entering retirement more deliberately, using lived evidence from both their own past and Boomers’ experience to shape longer retirements.