The Missing Middle Podcast How Birth Year Shapes Your Economic Future
8 snips
Jan 16, 2026 This discussion dives into how generational stereotypes like avocado toast jokes often miss the mark. The hosts explore the economic realities shaped by major historical events, from the Great Depression to recent pandemics. They reveal how birth year impacts job markets and wealth opportunities, highlighting the unique challenges faced by Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. The talk also uncovers the implications of cohort size on political clout and policy, urging a responsibility to ensure future generations have a fair chance at success.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Generations Form Around Shared Shocks
- Birth year shapes values because cohorts internalize major shocks during youth.
- Mike Moffatt explains generations form around shared formative historical events that affect lifelong outlooks.
Cohort Size Drives Competition And Policy
- Cohort size changes opportunities and competition across life stages.
- Mike Moffatt notes birth-rate troughs or booms affect school capacity, job competition, and housing demand.
Gen X Latchkey Childhoods Shaped Independence
- Mike Moffatt describes Gen X latchkey childhoods and major recessions in the 1980s and 1990s.
- He links those experiences to a generational ethos of independence and self-reliance.
