Retirement on Hold: Why Gex X Feels Stretched Thin

The headlines are hard to miss: Americans over 50 are not ready for retirement, many caught between caring for aging parents and still supporting children well into adulthood. This “sandwich generation” is stretched thin, financially, emotionally, and mentally. And while they represent one of the largest and most powerful consumer groups in history, too often they feel invisible to brands.

The Reality for the 50+ Consumer

Retirement insecurity: Rising costs of living, healthcare, and housing mean many are pushing retirement further down the road.

Sandwich generation stress: They’re helping elderly parents navigate declining health while also funding their kids’ education or housing.

Delayed dreams: Vacations, passions, and even self-care often get put aside to meet others’ needs.

This is not just a personal challenge, it’s a cultural and economic one. When such a large cohort feels under pressure, the ripple effects touch industries from financial services to retail, healthcare, and beyond.

How Brands Can Help

Brands have an opportunity, if not an obligation, to step in with solutions, empathy, and advocacy:

Financial empowerment tools: Provide resources that help consumers plan smarter, not just spend more. Education on budgeting, savings, and retirement readiness builds long-term trust.

Flexible product design: From subscription models to financing options, brands can relieve immediate financial burdens without compromising quality.

Well-being at the center: Acknowledge the emotional toll of caregiving and financial stress. Products and campaigns should support not just wallets but also mental and physical health.

Representation: Show this generation in their complexity, not just as grandparents, but as workers, dreamers, caretakers, and cultural shapers.

How Shakers is Helping

At Shakers, we challenge brands to stop overlooking the 50+ consumer. Our work is rooted in:

Insights: We uncover the truths behind the statistics, how financial strain impacts decision-making, loyalty, and brand perception.

Strategy: We design campaigns that connect authentically, balancing value-driven messaging with cultural nuance.

Advocacy: We push back on the invisibility of the 50+ market, showing brands how to turn empathy into engagement and solutions into sales.

What More Can Be Done

This is just the beginning. More brands need to:

• Rethink their definitions of “prime” consumers.
• Address systemic blind spots in marketing research that undercount or oversimplify the 50+ audience.
• Collaborate across industries, finance, health, retail, tech, to create ecosystems of support, not silos of pressure.

The truth is simple: the 50+ consumer is navigating one of the most challenging phases of modern adulthood. Brands that stand with them in this moment of vulnerability will earn not only their business, but their trust and loyalty for decades to come.

 At Shakers, we believe this isn’t just good marketing. It’s good humanity.