Baby boomers are the most prosperous generation in history. Here are 10 stocks millennials can buy to get in on the action, according to Bank of America.

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Baby boomers are the most prosperous generation in history. Here are 10 stocks millennials can buy to get in on the action, according to Bank of America.

baby boomer

REUTERS/Mike Blake

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  • Bank of America published an updated list of thematic stock picks. One of the themes is companies with high exposure to baby boomers.
  • The report breaks down companies by their exposure to young consumers through sub-sectors ranging from residential aged care to wealth management.
  • Here are the top stocks per sector that Bank of America recommends for exposure to older consumers.
  • Read more on Business Insider.

For investors looking to cash in on the "silver wave," Bank of America Merrill Lynch has a comprehensive list of stocks with high exposure to baby boomers.

The bank recently published an updated list of picks for companies exposed to boomers, as a part of a quarterly update to BAML's "Primer Picks" list, which saw it add 63 companies in total.

Baby boomers are currently the largest living adult generation in the US, with millennials closely behind, according to Pew Research. And, even if millennials do edge out boomers in size, they're unlikely to edge them out in spending power - Boomers' wealth is 12 times greater than millennials.

That's a compelling reason to get behind companies with high exposure to boomers, and the report breaks down companies by their exposure level in different sub-sectors. The sub-sectors range from wealth and asset management to senior living and healthcare.

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The goal is to illuminate "a diverse range of verticals for investors wishing to access the theme," Haim Israel, an equity strategist at BAML, wrote of the list.

Read more: Nobel laureate Robert Shiller forewarned investors about the dot-com and housing bubbles. Now he tells us which irrational market behaviors have him most worried.

In order to be highly exposed to the boomer theme, the company must have boomer-related products, technologies, services, and solutions that are core to the business model, strategy, and research and development of the company, according to the report. In addition, the products must move material sales, drive growth, or be a pure play.

There are also a number of stocks that are "Primer Picks." To be included as a Bank of America Primer Pick, the stock must have a high or medium exposure to the relevant theme. It must also be covered by a Bank of America Global Research fundamental analysts and have a "buy" rating when the quarterly update is published.

Here are the top boomer-exposed stocks in each of the 10 sub-sectors tracked by BAML:

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Chemed (Residential Aged Care)

Chemed (Residential Aged Care)

Ticker: CHE

Boomer Sub-sector: Residential Aged Care

Market Capitalization: $7.28 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Welltower (Healthcare REITs)

Welltower (Healthcare REITs)

Ticker: WELL

Boomer Sub-sector: Healthcare REITs

Market Capitalization: $36.2 billion

Primer Pick: No

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

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Brookdale (Senior Living)

Brookdale (Senior Living)

Ticker: BKD

Boomer Sub-sector: Senior Living

Market Capitalization: $1.4 billion

Primer Pick: No

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Acadia Pharmaceuticals (Biotechnology)

Acadia Pharmaceuticals (Biotechnology)

Ticker: ACAD

Boomer Sub-sector: Biotechnology

Market Capitalization: $4.49 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

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United Health Group (Managed Care)

United Health Group (Managed Care)

Ticker: UNH

Boomer Sub-sector: Managed Care

Market Capitalization: $225 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Cerner (Health Tech)

Cerner (Health Tech)

Ticker: CERN

Boomer Sub-sector: Health Tech

Market Capitalization: $23.5 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

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Service Corp. (Consumer — Death Care)

Service Corp. (Consumer — Death Care)

Ticker: SCI

Boomer Sub-sector: Consumer - Death Care

Market Capitalization: $8.8 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Royal Caribbean (Consumer — Travel)

Royal Caribbean (Consumer — Travel)

Ticker: RCL

Boomer Sub-sector: Consumer - Travel

Market Capitalization: $23.4 billion

Primer Pick: No

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

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UBS (Wealth Management)

UBS (Wealth Management)

Ticker: UBS

Boomer Sub-sector: Wealth Management

Market Capitalization: $42.4 billion

Primer Pick: Yes

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Principal Financial (Insurance)

Principal Financial (Insurance)

Ticker: PFG

Boomer Sub-sector: Insurance

Market Capitalization: $16.7 billion

Primer Pick: No

Source: Bank of America Merrill Lynch

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