Millennials’ clout will grow with income

Article Excerpt

Generation Y, or millennials, is the group born between 1980 and 2000. In the U.S., that demographic represents the single-largest defined generation, with about 90 million people. That number is considerably higher than today’s 75 million U.S. baby boomers. The average age of a millennials is now 27. With the peak earning years for most people usually between the age of 40 and 55, the economic importance of this group will continue to grow for the next two decades. Generation X (the group sandwiched in between boomers and millennials) is currently the highest income earning group in the U.S, followed by the baby boomers and then millennials. However, this is expected to change drastically by 2025 with the income of millennials expected to double to $8 trillion per year. In addition to the natural earnings progression for Gen Yer, they’ll also receive a massive windfall of $40 trillion in inheritance from their baby boomer parents. These demographic changes have important implications for how companies…