They’re poor – they’re rich – they’re –sad – they’re happy…they’re confused?

These Baby Boomers are fickle bunch. They can’t decide if they are happy or sad, rich or poor, anxious or contented.

Saturday’s FT article paints the Boomers as a self satisfied and self absorbed bunch. The same message comes from last week’s article in the Sunday Times.

Today in the Observer we learn that Baby Boomers are broke, ailing and anxious and another article tells us that: “not everyone can grow old gracefully”.

What is going on? Do we have a generation with split personalities that toggles between ecstasy and despair?

Maybe, just maybe, the research conclusions depend on which group of Boomers (50-plus) are interviewed?

The truth is that Boomers are far too complex for your average journalist who can only deal with something that is black or white (rich or poor, happy or sad…).

About 20% of the 50-plus generation in the UK (I call the Charmed Generation) are doing really well – an optimistic and wealthy bunch. Another 20%, the ones at the bottom of the pile, are far from happy and are broke. The 60% in the middle are, well, in the middle.

I fear we are for more of this journalist rubbish as they try and reduce the emotions and wants of a very large bunch of people into a few hundred words. Amusing it might be – accurate, not. Dick Stroud