How Will We Be Remembered?

Making Peace with Our Children

CHICAGO--()--In the August issue of Themes on the Economy®, Mesirow Financial Chief Economist Diane Swonk muses on economic challenges and burdens that baby boomers are leaving for the millennial generation. “This will no doubt trigger some backlash, particularly among younger workers who will have to pay more into the system to keep the promises made, but they will not get much (if anything) in government-sponsored retirement benefits for themselves.”

And, don’t look to make it up in stock market, technology or housing bubbles; the Federal Reserve is keeping a much closer eye on the banks it regulates. Chair Janet “Yellen has talked about higher capital requirements and more conservative underwriting standards as ways that the Fed could deflate emerging bubbles. She has also praised the use of regulations targeted at tempering the rise in home prices…” The Fed plans to exit its QE3 program gradually, but the “fear is that the economy is more sensitive to rate hikes now than it was in the past. If the Fed acts too aggressively, it risks leveling the whole forest.”

The picture looks different in other parts of the world, too. China will still represent opportunity but competition as well, and not just on the economic front, as it increases military spending. Swonk also cautions that, "Stability in the Eurozone is illusory,” with “the ongoing risk of deflation” and the effects on sovereign debt.

To read more about the structural challenges facing the next generation, watch a video or read Themes on the Economy for August. Archived issues can be found at mesirowfinancial.com.

Mesirow Financial is a diversified financial services firm headquartered in Chicago. Founded in 1937, it is an independent, employee-owned firm with approximately 1,200 employees globally. With expertise in Investment Management, Global Markets, Insurance Services and Consulting, Mesirow Financial strives to meet the financial needs of institutions, public sector entities, corporations and individuals. For more information about Mesirow Financial, visit its website at mesirowfinancial.com.

Contacts

Mesirow Financial
Karen Nye, 312.595.7147

Release Summary

Mesirow Financial's Chief Economist Diane Swonk lists challenges that baby boomers are leaving for millennials, and predicts the Federal Reserve will be more active in regulation but easier on rates.

Contacts

Mesirow Financial
Karen Nye, 312.595.7147