Aging Baby Boomers: Source of Societal Trauma And Impending Collapse? Or ... Not?

Health care, the stock market, social security, and life expectations: baby boomers will affect them all as they cross from "middle aged" to "old." The Kansas City Star looks at how little we know about the impact on society. For instance,

Stock Market:

The dark side: Markets tank as boomers start selling their stocks and other assets to fund their retirement. The economic booms of the past 15 years — credited in part to the high incomes and investments of boomers hitting the sweet spots of their careers — will devolve into decades of busts. ...

The bright side: The great sell-off may never happen — at least not to the extent that many fear. Nearly 90 percent of today’s stocks are held by the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans, who are more likely to live off interest income and keep a big chunk of their assets for heirs. ...

Reporter Rick Montgomery cites the arguments advanced by the recently published The Greater Generation as providing an alternative to generally gloomy forecasts: the book and other glass-is-half-full proponents argue for "the promise of a healthier, wiser, more socially conscientious retirement realm in which those boomers will successfully transform America."

Who's right? Perhaps it's time to write a book.