Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett Defined My Generation

I was born in 1965, which means that I am on the cusp of two generational labels. Baby Boomers are those born between 1946-1964 and Generation X was used for those born between 1964 and the mid-seventies. We of the cusp did not grow up on the Beatles, nor were we the big fans of grunge.

We of 1965 watched the lesser-known Jackson 5 animated series from 1971-1973, then "Charlie's Angels" during junior high school (Kate Jackson was my fave) and started high school with a new, shiny vinyl copy of "Off the Wall." (Please no comments from my classmates who howled "disco sucks" and called themselves "the Take-it-Easies.")

Today I finally realized that I'm neither a Boomer, nor a Gen X-er... I'm part of the sliver of the population that was shaped by Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. How strange it is to see them go on the same day. An era has surely passed.

Jill Schlesinger

Jill Schlesinger, CFP® is the Emmy-nominated business analyst for CBS News. She covers the economy, markets, investing and anything else with a dollar sign on TV, radio (including her nationally syndicated radio show), the web and her blog, "Jill on Money." Prior to her second career at CBS, Jill spent 14 years as the co-owner and chief investment officer for an independent investment advisory firm. She began her career as a self-employed options trader on the Commodities Exchange of New York, following her graduation from Brown University.

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