‘We Were Pretty Neglected Growing Up’ Says Latchkey Gen Xer In Their Mid 50s — Most Friends Are Either Sick, Broke Or Unemployed
- Personal Finance
ThePostMaster- 0
- 8 minutes read
By now, Gen X is old enough to be in charge of the meeting… and too tired to attend it. They raised themselves on microwaved dinners and Saturday morning cartoons, but now that they’re in their 50s, one Reddit user is starting to wonder: was all that independence just early training for midlife burnout?
The question came in the form of a post titled “Gen Xers not doing great?” The writer, a self-described latchkey kid in their mid-50s, looked around and saw that nearly everyone in their circle seemed to be struggling. “Among my friends and Gen X family members I can only count one person who is not” either dealing with chronic health problems, addiction, untreated mental illness, or “unable to hold down a job and… living off their inheritance.”
They weren’t trying to be dramatic — just observant. “We were pretty neglected growing up,” they wrote. “Even though we take a lot of pride in our resilience, that’s not the same as thriving.”
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Health Problems, Dead Friends, and Inheritance as a Punchline
The replies rolled in fast, and many echoed the same quiet unraveling. One person said, “Many are dead. One is homeless. Another is in prison.” Another commenter recalled telling their son about a classmate who had passed. His response: “What did you all do to yourselves to warrant dying so young?”
Others shared long, painful collapses. “I had sudden severe health problems that landed me in the hospital for a couple months and out of work for a year,” one person wrote. “Tried going back… they got rid of me after 20+ years. Haven’t worked since.”
For some, the fallback plan was supposed to be family money — until they realized that wasn’t happening. “Inheritance is laughable in my case and most of my friends as well,” one commenter wrote. Another just asked, “Wtf is an inheritance?”
Meanwhile, the health side of things wasn’t subtle. One person said their body fell apart after 50: “Bulging discs, hiatal hernia, gastritis, erosive esophagitis,” and the lowest vitamin D level their doctor had ever seen. Others pointed to alcohol. “Every person I have known who died in the last 10 years was a heavy drinker,” one said. Another had quit drinking after losing a friend. “Best decision we ever made.”
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Some Are Fine. Most Are Fried.
Not every response was bleak. Some Gen Xers said they were doing great — mostly thanks to long-term savings, lucky real estate timing, or union jobs that came with a pension. “I’m 56, retired, and happily married to my 56-year-old wife of 32 years,” one wrote. “My Gen X friends are mostly just fine.”
But even those with stability admitted that loss had become a common backdrop. “We’re reaching the age where we’re starting to lose a lot,” one commenter said. “Deaths are common, health fails, future plans start coming undone… But we’re gonna get by, because that’s what we do.”
One poster, sitting beside their mother in hospice, put it more simply: “I feel like a lost child right now.”
The Reality Check
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Even those who have jobs aren’t exactly thriving. A 2024 Deputy survey analyzed by Fortune found 81% of Gen X workers said their current role doesn’t pay enough to make them feel financially secure — a higher percentage than any other generation.
Some are taking pay cuts. Some are quietly giving up. Most are just stuck — overlooked, underpaid, and running out of financial runway right when the bills get bigger.
A Plan Is Still Possible
The thread never claimed Gen X was doomed. Just stretched thin. Some are thriving. Others are coasting. Too many are barely hanging on. The real question isn’t whether they’re resilient — it’s whether they’ve spent too long pretending that was enough.
Whether you’re 50, 60, or still in your 30s, working with a financial advisor can help you figure out what’s possible — and what’s fixable. You can’t undo the past, but you can stop guessing about the future.
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