My readers know me only too well. As an astute BFD reader commented on my recent piece about the generationally divided, two-speed economy: I just said to my wife yesterday that it was about time for Lushy’s annual boomer baiting. Annual? I can and must do better than that. Far be it for me to let our loyal readers down, after all.
So, here goes…
Many years ago, I interviewed a financial planner for a story on farm succession planning. The thing that got her, she said, was how obsessed these boomer oldies were about getting the pension. “Yes, we can structure a trust that will keep us comfortable for our twilight years, but what about our pension?”
Why do you care about the pension? she asked. You’re sitting on a multimillion-dollar asset. You don’t need a pension.
But it always came down to the Grandpa Simpson mentality: I’m old! Gimme, gimme, gimme!
Other commenters on my previous article also took objection to my pointing out boomers chortling that they were SKIing (Spending the Kids’ Inheritance). A “cheap shot”, they harrumphed. Whereupon, like a gift from the gods, this one dropped on Sky News:
A wealthy retired couple have been slammed online after speaking out on their decision to spend their children’s inheritance on holidays on SBS Insight.
Just to be clear, these selfish wrinklies left no doubt that they were far from alone in refusing to pass on what had been handed down to them.
The couple were asked about the “SKI” mindset, which stands for Spending Kids’ Inheritance, as they run a private Facebook group where they share travel tips and their experiences with other likeminded retirees.
“The more that we’re travelling, the more that we’re meeting people who are thinking the same way,” Ms Ryland said.
“Coming back off this recent trip, there must’ve been four or five couples who are in the same position as us, got to a point where they’ve just thrown in their jobs, they’re retired and you’re sitting there and they’re going ‘Have you done Africa yet?’”
Gosh, I wonder what the young, poor people are doing this year?
No wonder George Carlin could see it, even 30 years ago:
But a smug coterie of SKIers smirking their way from one cruise to another have got nothing on these pair of whining arseholes.
“We are a couple aged 73 and 67, both retired and receiving the full aged pension. We recently won $1,000,000 in the lottery and have placed that money in a basic interest-bearing savings account with our bank,’’ the lucky couple explained.
“We intend to use that money to buy a new house and sell our existing one but may just renovate. The windfall has stopped our pension completely until we spend the money. But could we have prevented the pension loss in any way?”
That’s right – they literally won the lottery. They’re actual millionaires.
And they’re whining about their pension.
But, hey, just to balance the generational baiting, we GenXers aren’t short an arsehole or two. Take 59-year-old “Anja”. She came out almost as well as the millionaire lottery winners: given – given! – an $800,000 holiday home by her parents. What was her reaction? But muh pension!
“I’m trying to calculate how much of the government aged pension my retired husband is missing out on by me having a holiday home valued at roughly $800,000,’’ she wrote.
But, of course, she’s doing it tough, you see.
“I’m 59 and earn $56,000 a year, have 1500 Telstra shares and $126,000 in an online account.
“My super is worth $370,000. My husband, 70, retired last year. We are living off my income and his redundancy and haven’t started using his $430,000 of super. He also has $80,000 in a term deposit. We have no children and our house is owned outright” […]
This couple arguably have around $3 million in combined property, super and savings.
Adelaide Now
You know what? Maybe I shouldn’t pin it all on the Boomers. George Carlin was right:
Fuck these Boomers! Fuck these Yuppies!… And fuck everybody, now that I think of it!
