Wealthier Than They Used To Be, Not As Wealthy As They Should Be

It’s not that baby boomers have failed to accumulate some wealth as they move inexorably toward their retirement years. They just haven’t accumulated enough. That’s one conclusion of a new report by AARP’s Public Policy Institute on the wealth held by boomers and various boomer subsets. The report looks at trends in boomers’ non-annuitized wealth (defined as total wealth excluding Social Security and defined benefit pensions) in the years 1989 to 2001.

Overall, the median net worth of boomer households has risen steeply, from $35,951 in 1989 to $107,150 in 2001 (in 2001 dollars).