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First Boomer, First Check

Watershed moment as first Baby Boomer starts collecting Social Security

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 18, 2008 2:06 PM CST

(Newser) – The first Baby Boomer will collect her—and her generation's—first Social Security check next month, and she can expect a lot of attention, reports AARP The Magazine. Kathleen Casey-Kirschling was born at 12:00:01 on January 1, 1946, and her big move spotlights the way her generation will both redefine retirement and squeeze Social Security to the limit.

In retirement, Casey-Kirschling plans to do volunteer work; she hopes her cohorts will do likewise. "The boomers did a lot of good, but we also did our fair share of harm,” she says. “Whether it’s obesity or the environment, it’s time for us to do our part .” She'll also be doing some traveling on the boat she and her husband own. Its name? First Boomer.

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling and her family. Kathleen will be getting her first Social Security check in February, making her the first of some 80 million Baby Boomers to do so.
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling and her family. Kathleen will be getting her first Social Security check in February, making her the first of some 80 million Baby Boomers to do so.   (KRT Photos)
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling (L) files for her Social Security retirement benefits online as Michael Astrue (2nd-L) commissioner of the Social Security Administration stands nearby on Oct. 15, 2007.
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling (L) files for her Social Security retirement benefits online as Michael Astrue (2nd-L) commissioner of the Social Security Administration stands nearby on Oct. 15, 2007.   (Getty Images)
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling is the nation's first Baby Boomer, born on January 1, 1946, and will be the first to receive Social Security retirement benefits.
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling is the nation's first Baby Boomer, born on January 1, 1946, and will be the first to receive Social Security retirement benefits.   (Getty Images)
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling and her husband. Media attention will focus on Kathleen again when she collects her first Social Security check in February.
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling and her husband. Media attention will focus on Kathleen again when she collects her first Social Security check in February.   (KRT Photos)
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