When I read so much about marketing to millennials, I get snarky (isn't that a Gen X trait?). Gen X is the middle child. We're the most ignored, misunderstood and disheartened generation. We're smaller than the generations we're sandwiched between (65 million in comparison to boomers at 77 million and millennials at an estimated 83 million).

I work in the financial technology industry where everyone is courting millennials. When my news feed overflows with articles about how to serve millennials, I get stabby. What about me? Isn't my money important, too? I am a savvy consumer who prides myself on making informed decisions. So, why are my peers and I being ignored?

Born between about 1965 and 1980, we are an important target market

At the older end, we're in our peak earning and spending years, while the younger end is getting married, having kids and buying first homes. We're in life stages that involve most major purchases.

According to a Bloomberg Business article, Gen X is in worse shape financially than both generations we are sandwiched between. We are paying off college debt, raising families and helping with aging parents even while our wages remain stagnant. We're strapped with debt and we've got a pessimistic attitude to go with it.

Despite that, what makes Gen X great is our determination to work hard for what we value. We were latchkey kids. Most of our parents and friends' parents were divorced. We spent less time with our boomer parents who worked, and we were home alone taking care of younger siblings. We became independent at an early age. As adults, we grew to value family time and our motto became "work to live, don't live to work." We're self-starters, we're self-reliant and we don't need instant approval.

If you want to reach us, you need to be real

And honest. We like nice things, but don't assume we'll throw our money at just anything. We are prudent in our spending habits. We will pay for something superior, but we won't overpay for it. We are sensible and savvy. We're no longer slackers who whine and complain. We've grown up to be forward thinking people, comfortable in our own skin.

If you're marketing to us you can appeal to our sense of family, self-care and our desire to play it safe. We grew up in uncertain times and we want a financial institution that will be there to help us, not just offer us loans and credit cards. Provide us educational opportunities for financial planning, savings accounts with good interest rates and low monthly fees.

We don't respond well to hard sells, so show us how we can set goals for saving and overall financial stability. We do tend to be the ones with underwater mortgages and very little retirement, so an institution can best engage us by being our advocate.

The stereotype of Gen Xers as a bunch of disengaged slackers is gone. We grew up in adversity and learned to adapt. We prefer the "alternative," and our desire to innovate will allow us to look for new ways of doing things. Financial institutions need to do the same when trying to reach us. Gen X has the ability to shape the world. We've already started.

Amy Hibbard is communications director for Geezeo. She can be reached at 757-870-0626 or [email protected].