Stuck in the middle with you 🥪

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Happy Saturday. 👋🏻

It may be as hot as Hades out there right now, but we’ve got some very cool news for you: An iconic Gen X sled is back in production and will be returning to snow covered hills this winter. The plastic Sno-Toboggan, which saw some of us through the blizzards of 1977 and 1978, was sold back in the day at JC Penney, Montgomery Ward and Sears.

The only change from the original 70s design? A safety label.

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In today’s issue:

• ✈️ Would you give up your window seat?

• 🛋️ Gen X needs to pivot when it comes to retirement

• 🤢 The candy no one asked for

^{ONE GEN X THING}

Stuck in the Middle With You

Remember when Gen X was happily plodding along, perfectly fine being the “forgotten generation,” sandwiched between the behemoth groups of boomers and millennials? Well, we’re still pretty much forgotten (but, hey, we see you!), and now we find ourselves the tasty fillings of an entirely new sandwich.

These days, we’re firmly entrenched in the “sandwich generation.” And we are burnt out.

According to a recent Bankrate survey, 60% of Gen Xers feel that money is adversely affecting their mental health, the highest percentage among all generations. This is because we’re simultaneously caring for our aging parents, helping to support our children (adult and otherwise), keeping our careers afloat, all while awash in stress over saving for our retirements.

What’s the best way to cope with all of the demands? Keep things super simple: Take care of yourself first. Just like they tell you in pre-flight safety briefings: Put on your oxygen mask first, then help those around you.

We get it. It’s hard. We’re right there with you.

*****

BONUS STORY: Gen X is not great at using gift cards.

^PRE-TIREMENT

Strategery

It was all fun and games back in 2000. We laughed and laughed at the thought of Al Gore’s infamous “lockbox” being around to fund our retirements. We knew better.

And we were right to be cynical.

The generations ahead of us could count on having roughly 40% of their retirement needs being covered by Social Security, with the other 60% covered by traditional pensions and savings.

LOL. We’re going to need some strategery to make the math work for us.

1/ Learn to Save: Yes, we keep beating this drum. Prioritize saving for retirement and take advantage of retirement catch up opportunities when you turn 50.

2/ Close the Bank of Mom and Dad: It will help our adults kids build self-reliance, whilst helping us grow our nest eggs.

3/ Pivot!: This ain’t your mom’s retirement. You need to pay close attention to your investment strategy, monitor your statements and stay on top of — and adapt to! — changes in rules or taxes.

*****

BONUS STORY: Inheritance Tax: What It Is, How to Avoid It

^{LATCHKEY POLL RESULTS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 22, 2023}

Which House Are You?

House 5 won last week’s poll, with nearly 32% of you opting for a house filled with these musical icons:

• Guns N’ Roses

• Journey

• Queen

• Bon Jovi

• Van Halen

• Billy Idol

We’re not mad at this. Here’s how it broke:

^{YOU MAKE THE CALL}

Give Up Your Window Seat?

The internet is abuzz these days with debates over whether or not travelers should give up their pre-booked airplane seats so families can sit together.

Tammy Nelson recently found herself in this situation when she boarded her flight only to find a woman in her seat (a pre-booked window seat, at that). Nelson thought it was a simple mistake, but it turns out the woman in her seat assumed Nelson would let her stay put so she could sit with her teenage children. Nelson refused. Cue the outrage.

So, we want to know:

^{… AND THE REST}

Mustard Skittles and Pickled Booze

• Mustard Skittles: The candy that no one asked for is here. In honor of National Mustard Day on August 5, French’s Mustard is teaming up with Skittles for a tangy taste sensation. But warned, though, you can only get these yellow gems in a few cities.

• Pickle flavored booze: Speaking of strange gastronomic bedfellows, a beverage company has turned its April Fool’s Joke into a legitimate product: pickle-flavored hard seltzer.

• Travel: If you’re planning a jaunt to Europe next year, you’d better read up about the visa fees you’ll be paying.

• College: Parents are spending BIG bucks to get their daughters into sororities. Our unsolicited advice: Let them deal with it themselves and put that money into your retirement account instead.

• Movies: Time magazine has compiled a list of the 100 best movies of the last 100 years, grouped by decade.

• Road Trip: A list of the most iconic diners in all 50 states.

Milestones. July 30, 1975: Jimmy Hoffa last seen alive outside a restaurant in Detroit. || August 1, 1981: MTV debuts at 12:01 AM with The Buggles song, "Video Killed The Radio Star." || August 2, 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait.

^{FROM THE GEN X MEMORY VAULT}

Tasty Memes and Memories

^{WEEKLY EAR WORM}

“You Better Run” by Pat Benatar

Did you know that the second ever video played on MTV was Pat Benatar’s song, “You Better Run”? It was was originally performed by The Young Rascals in 1966, and Benatar covered it on her 1980 album, Crimes of Passion. Fun fact: Peter Criss also recorded the song in 1980 for his first post-KISS solo album, Out of Control.

That’s it for this week’s Latchkey! We’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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