November 23, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster
My 30-something-year-old children will often say “Hey Boomer” whenever I extol some virtue or make a comment about something I see as fact, but they view as old fashioned or outdated. It took me a while to realize they weren’t being kind with that phrase. The Millennials have a negative view of my generation, in which I am considered “trailing edge” (meaning I was born on the back end of the boomer generation that ended with babies born in 1964). Probably best for me to be in the caboose on that demographic train. But I digress.
Perhaps we boomers have the last laugh after all. According to Realtor.com:
Baby boomers are officially the wealthiest generation, holding more than $85 trillion in assets, according to data from the Federal Reserve.
And this…
Baby boomers still hold over half of the nation’s wealth, despite making up less than 20% of the U.S. population. Millennials and Gen Z, by contrast, make up 42% of the population but hold only around 10% of the country’s wealth.
According to Realtor.com research, baby boomers now own an estimated $18 – $19 trillion in real estate in the U.S.
“Baby boomers became the richest generation because they got a once-in-a-lifetime setup,” says CPA and attorney Chad D. Cummings of Cummings & Cummings Law. “They bought homes when an ordinary salary could cover the mortgage on a modest house without turning every month into a financial siege. They locked those mortgages in, then watched home prices surge and interest rates collapse.”
But the younger generation who want to buy a house of their own in or outside of an HOA are stuck in limbo due to a variety of factors.
“Boomers’ decision to age in place, combined with pandemic-era mortgage rates that discourage selling, has created a significant bottleneck,” says Aaron Buchbinder, broker associate at Compass in Boca Raton, FL. “Many older homeowners are reluctant to give up low property taxes or sub-3% mortgage rates, so they’re staying put rather than downsizing. This limits supply for younger buyers, pushes prices even higher, and has contributed to the rising median age of first-time homebuyers.”
According to the report, younger buyers are banking on inheritances from baby boomer parents or grandparents, who are slated to pass on $90 trillion in what is dubbed as the Great Wealth Transfer.
But, not so fast. Realtor.com says…
…A Charles Schwab report from early 2025 revealed that 45% of boomers said they would rather “enjoy my money for myself while I’m still alive,” while only 34% intended to preserve their wealth for the next generation.
Hey Boomer! That’s Mister Boomer to you.
Read the report on generational wealth HERE.
