Our Key Issues

The 135 million adults born since 1980 aren't getting what we deserve. And it's going to get worse as retirement-related payments to prior generations increase. The issues below are among the most pressing.

1. Housing
Homeownership was once a realistic early‑adulthood milestone. For many younger Americans, it’s a long‑term aspiration. Home prices have grown far faster than wages, and starter homes are increasingly scarce. Today's reality is more often renting longer, spending more, and missing out on the rising value of owning a home.

2. Affordability
Beyond housing, costs for life's essentials, not to mention a few extras, have become increasingly expensive relative to incomes. Groceries cost more. Utility bills swing wildly. Fewer families are able to live comfortably on a single income. These costs shape everyday decisions about whether to save, whether to move, and whether to stay in the workforce at all.

3. Work
Work doesn't work very well any more. Policies are still based on long-term jobs with a single employer, strong unions and mostly stable job opportunities. Now, career ladders have been replaced by career jungle gyms. We navigate gig jobs, contract work, AI, and companies that restructure every few years. The disconnect between employees seeking work-life and many inflexible employers is enormous.

4. Families
2 parents, 3 kids and a dog hasn't been the norm for a long time. Nonetheless, many policies and practices haven't caught up with the variety of ways that families are now structured. Either one or two working parents trying to raise children is common. It's also extremely difficult. Childcare can cost as much as a second mortgage--if it's available at all. Parents who want to stay home with their children faces multiple obstacles moving in and out of the workforce. Schools increasingly expect much more parental involvement, adding to the time pressure.

5. Healthcare
Medical expenses have ballooned, and employer‑provided coverage is less generous than it once was. For gig workers and many others employer-sponsored coverage is nonexistent. Younger generations face higher premiums, deductibles, and out‑of‑pocket costs. Boomers aged into Medicare; younger adults too often age into medical debt and even bankruptcy.

6. Education
College was dramatically cheaper in the past. Today’s students often graduate with debt loads that shape their financial decisions for decades — delaying homeownership, family formation, and retirement savings. Boomers could work a summer job to cover tuition; younger generations often need loans that rival a mortgage.

7. Government Benefits
Programs like Social Security and Medicare were built for a different demographic era. Younger generations contribute to systems that aren't designed to support them in the same way they supported boomers. Boomers were the last generation to widely benefit from pensions and long-term job stability. Younger workers rely on 401(k)s, which shift risk from employers to individuals. With high living costs and limited savings, many younger adults worry they’ll never be able to retire comfortably — if at all.

8. Environment
Average temperatures are consistently rising and droughts are commonplace even where they hadn't occurred before. These changes have brought year-round wildfires, rising coastlines, and as yet unknowable impacts on our quality of life. The costs of dealing with all of this will be immense.