GENERATION X.

Byline: - Staff and wire reports

Generation Xers, the 52 million Americans born from 1967 and 1981, are generally financially astute and well prepared to weather - and even benefit from - the current financial downturn, according to the 2nd Annual GenX Survey conducted by New York Life Investment Management LLC. The survey of 530 Gen Xers found most of them began saving early and, as a result, 69 percent expect their standard of living in retirement to be greater than their parents'. The majority of Generation X's wealth comes from their salary as opposed to stock options or inheritance. Sixty percent of those surveyed said their net worth (on average around $117,000) was made by working, up 43 percent from 2001. But the stock market's problems have made an impression on Xers, with 22 percent dubbing their investment style as conservative, up from 11 percent last year. Just 20 percent viewed themselves as aggressive investors, down from 36 percent in 2001.