The financial plight of Gen X – folks born between 1965 and 1980 – is widely documented and it accumulated on multiple fronts.

In earnest, Gen X was the first generation to enter the workforce with significantly diminished access to private sector defined-benefit pensions. The demographic also attained higher education at rates well in excess of their baby boomer parents, meaning they were the first group to contend with soaring college costs, though that doesn’t diminish the comparable situation faced by millennials and Gen Z.

Gen X is bears the burden of being the “sandwich generation” meaning that for the time being, they’re largely the only group (there are millennial exceptions) potentially caring for older boomer parents while raising their own families.

Yet even with the clear financial headwinds Gen X is facing, data indicate they feel underserved. Yes, that could be a sign that this demographic and advisors aren’t connecting in the way they should be. That’s a two-way street, but a lot of the blame can be laid at the doorstep of marketing teams, not advisors, that spent years developing campaigns and messaging that focused only on boomers and millennials while almost entirely glossing over Gen X.

Gen X Feeling Stressed, Among Other Things

It’s not a stretch to say that the current state of affairs between Gen X and the wealth management industry is akin to a tug-of-war. Gen Xers need elevated financial advice and while there may be perceptions that the demographic is getting too demanding, the math behind the great wealth transfer confirms advisors cannot afford to ignore this group.

Advisors looking for deeper insight into Gen X should peruse FTSE Russell’s 2025 Wealth Pulse Survey, which makes clear Gen Xers are feeling underserved and overwhelmed. There also stressed out when it comes to finances.

“Gen X are most concerned about their investment portfolios. Four in 10 (40%) of Gen X admit to feeling stressed when thinking of their portfolios,” according to the survey. “Only three in 10 Baby Boomers (31%) and Millennials (29%) say they feel stressed. When it comes to their financial futures, both Gen X and Millennials bear the scars of recent market volatility. More than four in 10 Gen X (45%) and Millennials (41%) are now concerned about meeting their financial goals over five years, compared to one in four (24%) Baby Boomers. ”

Perhaps surprisingly given all they seen in their lifetimes, boomers are sanguine in their longer-ranging financial outlooks, but their Gen X offspring are jittery. Confirming the need for this generation to embrace advisors and be honest about their feelings, Gen Xers are worried deep equity market corrections, geopolitical events, inflation or all of the above could dim their financial outlooks.

Fostering Gen X Loyalty Is Essential

Smart advisors know that client continuity matters, meaning the recruiting process for current clients and heirs of those clients needs to be gentle, though consistent. That’s especially with Gen X because they and their millennial counterparts aren’t wed to sticking with advisors. They’ll move around if they feel underserved and that jeopardizes advisors hoping to benefit from the great wealth transfer. Data suggest Gen X can be demanding.

“Only a little more than half (57%) of Gen Xers say they’re very satisfied with their financial advisor, far less than Millennials (69%) and Baby Boomers (72%),” adds FTSE Russell. “When asked whether advisors equip them with custom solutions tailored to their needs, only half of Gen Xers (48%) strongly agree, against two thirds (65%) of Millennials and a similar number of Baby Boomers (61%). ”

Demanding or not, Gen X isn’t an impossible demographic for advisors to deal with. They actually could be highly receptive to opening new or extending existing relationships with fiduciaries if those professionals make them feel heard, catered to and provide them with generation-specific strategies.