YESTERYEAR'S `YUPPIES' ARE `GRUMPIES' OF '90S

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992                   TAG: 9201280466
SECTION: ECONOMY                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
YESTERYEAR'S `YUPPIES' ARE `GRUMPIES' OF '90S
They cruised around in BMWs, savored imported Brie and cheerfully whipped out their gold cards for the latest Armani suit or high-tech gadget.
But that was a decade ago.
Those spendthrift "yuppies" of yesteryear have turned "grumpie" today - as in grown-up mature professionals.
This most affluent faction of the nation's 75 million baby boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 who comprise the bulk of America's population - is cutting back on conspicuous consumption and thinking more about saving for the future.
The grumpies have no choice, actually. The flood of high-paying jobs in industries such as banking or financial services has dried up in response to a slowing economy. At the same time, responsibilities are mounting for sending children through college, supporting elderly parents and preparing for retirement.
Demographers, who coined the new grumpie term, say the middle-aging of America's largest population segment will affect nearly every aspect of society as the nation prepares for the 21st century, from consumer products, to housing and medical care, to the savings rate.
To find out how "grumpie" you are, the accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Co. recently put together a quiz.
A "yes" answer to five or more of the following questions means it may be time to consider those wide-seated jeans and lineless bifocals that are becoming trademarks of the grumpie set:

Are you between the ages of 29 and 45?

Do you have children who haven't finished school?

Are you willing to pay more for products or services that make you look or feel younger?

Are you well-educated?

Are you unaccustomed to scaling back financially?

Are you diet conscious?

Do others consider you affluent?

Are you expecting to provide some support for elderly parents?

Are you less secure in your job than you were two years ago?

Are you planning or hoping to retire early?

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB