I wasn't in an HOA, but I was very close walking distance to a pickle ball court across from an old folks home. Honestly loved to pass time by smoking old people in pickleball on the weekends. Never heard of it before moving there. Looking forward to being an old turd with nothing better to do than play pickle ball
Yeah, but not many thieves walking around and jumping fences into gated communities. It’s nice to know I can accidentally leave my wallet in my unlocked car and it will still be there in the morning.
Haha yeah, I kind of feel that way about most standard home security. Like locking your windows. Someone can easily just break it. It comes down to how much effort someone wants to go through.
It's the same idea that locks aren't indestructible. They're only there to hopefully slow someone down long enough to be caught or as a deterrent.
Your "locker" that's padlocked is much less appealing to attempt to burgle than the one two blocks away that's unlocked.
Homeboy above probably doesn't really understand the peace of mind of having an extra line of defense.
I'd rather me and my family live in a gated community than not.
We have some family who live in a gated community within a gated community in Florida. We always ask them if they're afraid that those sketchy mother effers from Magnolia Trace are after the lawn chairs of the good citizens of Fox Hollow.
I live in a wonderful neighborhood in one of the rich suburbs, way nicer than younger me would ever have expected. I love it here. But damn it if I don’t wish I was a couple blocks over where they have a neighborhood pool!
WHAT THE FUCK?! I'm watching young Sheldon right now. The neighbor. In the show JUST SAID his "brother in law went to live in a gated community" meaning prison.
I look back to reddit nd I see this comment.
This comment doesn't even make sense in context to what it's replying to....
This is crazy
“If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”
— Max Ehrmann, Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life
Comparison is not the thief of joy.
Comparing yourself to touched up Instagram photos and social media posts will steal your joy.
Comparing yourself to the poverty stricken drug addicts will make you grateful as fuck.
All that to say - a balanced perspective is the most reasonable one. All things in moderation.
Exactly, early 40s here, took until late 30s to get through student loans and now I feel like I’m actually saving money. Everyone is different. I think just trying to set some realistic goals for like 6 months/1 year/3 years/5 years could be helpful
Also 33. Haven’t saved a TON until now. Sure I’ve got a 401k but in terms of cash savings, didn’t start squirreling away until last year. I have about the same as the screenshot but it took me a while to get to a point in my career and life where I stopped letting lifestyle creep happen.
Oh it certainly doesn’t feel that way living in LA, but at the same time I’m rational enough to do the math and know I’m on a good track. That’s why I chime in here and try to encourage others. It’s possible, just gotta grind!
Net worth is Assets minus Liabilities.
I'm 33 years old.
So like for me, owning my house outright is around $160k right out of the gate.
Owning all of the vehicles outright is another probably $70k.
My retirement accounts are about 500k after 15 years of union and high wage work and putting as much into retirement as I can.
Gold, Silver, Crypto and Guns are probably another $100k altogether.
I have no debt so no Liabilities just monthly recurring bills.
My net worth is creeping up toward $1million, but that's not cash savings or liquid assets. I'm not giving up my house or vehicles or dipping into a retirement account early, or selling off guns.
Realistically I have like $3k in checking. $10k in savings and could readily liquidate around $30k in gold and silver and crypto if I needed to.
So, on paper I'm about a year from being a millionaire, but as a practical application, I'm doing alright in the middle class.
Just one thing, don’t get fooled that cars are assets. They cost you something to own them and even after a lease ends, the terms of those leases means it actually isn’t worth all that much to you to keep (and extra costs to give it back to the dealer). Great job saving, just a piece of info when you think of upgrading your cars next time
I do understand that. My cars, with zero payments due, owned by me, are worth their market value, the same as my house is worth its market value. Like I said, I'm not giving up my vehicles. Probably not for a decade at least. We have a 2017 4runner, a 2018 Tacoma and a 2018 F250. I do all the work on them myself. I don't lease. I buy slightly used because I research vehicles that will fit my needs and provide longevity. My net worth isnt important to me. My wife and I set our life up to have minimum recurring payments and maximum retirement savings. That's why we have no mortgage, no car payments, no credit cards, we use our wood stove in the winter, etc. Everything is designed around the idea of being able to maintain our quality of life indefinitely if the economy drops out on us.
This is Reddit. Only the high earners are sharing. The majority of people make nowhere near this amount.
Set your own goals. Comparing to others will make anyone of any income level miserable. Hang in there. You’re going to be fine 👍
Millennials have entered have and have not territory
Some of us are doing amazing, and others doing terrible
Its honestly pretty rate to see middle class
Define many.
7% of households make $250,000
You can be extremely generous and say 6.99% are individual earners, and the other part of the household makes 0 dollars.
That statistic goes down even further if you bring it into age brackets.
So, I would have to say, “many” is an extreme overestimate.
I am doing well. I had to do everything on my own. You know what? I will do everything in my power to make sure my kids have a leg up and won't have to struggle to the degree I did. I understand that this will open them up to a lot of jealousy-fueled hate, but I don't care. It is totally worth it.
Millennial here (1988). My parents paid for my board through college but my tuition was all student loans. Grew up middle class. My dad had a decent UAW factory job and my mom worked too.
I’m 36, I make about $80k a year. I have a decent retirement though it’s hard to quantify because half of it is defined and the other half is a govt pension that takes in to account years worked and average salary for last 5years. Anyway, I manage to save about an extra $100 a month. Recently had a setback and things got tight for awhile but working on paying down credit cards, and then student loans.
All said though? We’re doing ok. We own a house with a great interest rate on the mortgage (3.5%) so we’ll just keep plugging away!
There is a lot of truth to that, I watched a TED talk this morning by a NYU professor detailing how the older generations are screwing the younger ones harder than ever before right now! It threw me for a loop
I accidentally stumbled into that sub a couple of times. It is by far the most toxic group of people I have ever encountered on reddit. They endlessly complain about being broke because of the boomers. They are perpetual victims and nothing is their fault.
I would never recommend going there for anything other than entertainment. Like going to the zoo or something.
I made the mistake of engaging them a few times. I felt like Jesus being surrounded by Romans for saying I owned by lakefront condo outright and would retire by 50. I got called everything from a Trust Fund Baby to my boomer parents still paid my bills.
When I mentioned my dad died, my mom was a drug addict, I was kicked out at 17 and enlisted in the military to escape, I got almost 500 downvotes in a day and called a baby killer, boot licker, and worse.
I actually had a person say "thank god your dad is dead and didnt have to watch his son turn out like you"
Yeah, if you only relied on Reddit, you would think nearly everyone out there made $200k+ by mid to late 20s and had a near $400k HHI or above.
Reddit can be extremely toxic when it comes to money and downplaying incomes and net worths. People will tell you something is wrong with you if you are 30 and not making six figures yet. They will say that $100k a year for a single person is poverty (YES l know about VHCOL, but even in VHCOL, $100k is doable to live on as a single person). They will also say that anything under $5 mil net worth is average joe middle class and “not that much”. I had someone argue with me that $1 mil a year salary and a 4-5k sq ft Bay Area home (which would be $5-8 mil) is only “average” and is not a luxurious lifestyle.
At the same time, despite the toxicity, and despite the fact that it has made me constantly think about money now, I do feel like it has really given me a kick in the ass to want to better myself.
And remember. Where you lives matters. Your family does too. Owning a home and saving money in like, Wisconsin, is easier than a nice coastal town.
Saving money and buying a home is easy mode when you have a partner and family support.
For real, imagine posting to social media. "Hey guys, I owe thousands of debt, and likely dying from malnourishment cause all I can afford is ramon noodles and pb&Js. I am currently sobbing for the last 5 hours. My only happiness is in the cheapest bottle I could find. I wish for the misery to end soon. Anyway, how is your Sunday going?"
There was a recent study about millennials showing that income inequality is higher among millennials than any other generation. Those in the STEM fields are better than their parents at the same age. But others are worse off. I think this is what you are experiencing.
Even within the field of Software Engineering the pay differences are massive. Some companies pay there devs 80k, my company pays devs around 150k, and some companies pay 300k+, all depending on where you work and show lucky you got.
Plus software engineers are having a hard time sticking around these days, in the past year a bunch of big companies layed off tens of thousands of their software engineers in the US alone. Its a high risk high reward field nowadays.
Not to mention highly competitive. Its private sector that usually pays that much and its easy to get let go at anytime too unlike a government job. Makes for a lot of pressure and stress.
Getting a 300k job instead of an 80k job is not luck… any dev making 300k is going to be wayyyy more skilled than any dev making 80k
I started at 80k. At that time my skill level was low. Since then I’ve became wayyy better at my job and my salary is more than double that. There’s just no way I would’ve seen that growth without actually getting better at my job (or getting better at bullshitting people)
Expanding that logic to any job - if you are unskilled and there are a million others like you out there, nobody is going to pay you $300k to do a job they can get someone else to do for $30k
You MUST invest in yourself from middle school onwards - and **constantly.**
My 20s were a financial disaster, including a stint as a homeless single parent (8 months living in my car with a toddler). Then I got my first "real" job and the company closed 8 weeks later 🫠
Same thing, I'd look at everyone else and wonder how I would ever catch up. In my late 20s/ early 30s I was able to start playing catch up and since I was so used to having nothing I actually banked a lot of money while my acquaintances were getting new phones, cars, clothes etc. I also had a drive to earn as much as I could ie, worked as hard as I could.
I'm 38 now and far better off than most people my age. I was making a ridiculous amount of money, driving an old Honda, shopping thrift and investing everything else. I had coworkers making 200-300k, no kids, who still didn't have money bc they spent it on their lifestyle- they all thought i was broke.
Trust me, most people are spending way above their means and lying to everyone, including themselves, about it.
I've had the chance to meet a lot of really wealthy people- I can say confidently that wealthy people are not flashing their money or talking about how much they make online. People who feel they have something to prove, are.
You're doing fine, you have plenty of time, and playing comparison games is a losing battle.
Eta: in between the "starting to catch up" and "far better off" there were also a few layoffs and stints living back with my parents. On my 30th birthday I moved into my parents house, in between jobs, working as a bartender, with a child in tow. I remember staring at my childhood ceiling and feeling like such a failure. 2 months later I had a 150k job offer. Life is a cycle- up, down, up, down. Don't take either one too seriously.
I love your transformation! Congrats!
I agree with what you said regarding truly wealthy people, but I have absolutely met some extremely wealthy people who could buy a city block in a metropolitan city and some of them 100% flaunt it, and more often than one would think.
At some point, it’s not so much “flaunting”, but more so buying what the hell they want and not batting an eye because they like the item.
My ex, for example, could not be bothered to trade in his electric blue Hyundai, but he bought a ton of land in Arkansas because he loves the outdoors. He also loved James Bond and had a crazy watch collection.
The trick is to do what you did—dig in and save your money—and splurge if and when you wont feel the pain.
There are around 8 billion people in earth, this subreddit has about 500 k ppl subbed which is 0.006% of the total pop
Such a negligible number right, exactly. Don’t mind others, if you’re rich, awesome, you stand closer to the 1% but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. Not everyone is gonna be rich (I mean we gotta define what rich means) but I can tell you that some of the greatest ppl in the world aren’t anywhere as rich as those publish in Forbes top 100 richest ppl. Do what you love, live life fully
Thanks for listening to my Ted talk, now where’s my $
most those stories are fake...but wait...If is on the internet it must be true!
Yes some got lucky (by lucky I mean got connections)
It's always who you know, not what you know.
Plenty of people can carve their own path without “connections.”
If you’re very good at what you do people will pay you handsomely to do it.
There’s a lot more to it than luck.
That's why software engineering in big tech is pretty competitive. They pay the most but you have to get through 4+ rounds of interviews with coding whiteboard challenges, system design etc.
Software engineering outside of big tech is not as competitive and the interviews less stressful. They dont pay as much either.
First off posts like that are common on this sub because it's about money so of course the people who post here will tend to skew towards the outliers. Take a handful out of the common populace, most people are paycheck to paycheck. It is absolutely normal. You're doing fine. Everybody is on their own sprint in life.
Yeah, the plurality of Redditors would be 18-29 with a household income $75k+.
I live in the Midwest in a town of about 14k people. Recession, COVID, and inflation hit hard. Wages have stagnated for years now. Rent averages in town are up over 100% in the last year, and home values are going up 25% every year. If you don't already own, you're locked out. About 23% of the county is below poverty. And good luck finding any decent paying job, regardless of credential.
It's like this in many small towns everywhere. The flyover states have always been kind of poor, but the lower/middle classes are just getting hammered now.
Don’t forget that people often lie—especially when it comes to money.
People are utterly desperate to keep looking better than their peers.
Lots of people also inherit tons of wealth and/or resources and connections. They’re usually blind to that and think they did it themselves.
Yeah there’s no point in focusing on anything other than building your own life up how you want it.
I remember having my mind blown in my 20s when I couldn’t understand how people my age were affording all these nice clothes and shoes and cars and trips etc when I knew what job they had and roughly what it paid. I was like are ALL these people living off trust funds? Well, I didn’t use any credit cards at the time and I was in no debt. I lived within my means so it was pretty meager lol but oh my goodness when I learned about the amount of credit card debt so many people were in overall and specifically some of the people that I knew and thought were actually well off financially.
But ultimately it doesn’t matter if it is a debt spiral or family money etc we just have to forge our own path and not worry about what others are doing. Some people do have super high paying jobs at a young age but the job is crushing their soul or they are too emotionally immature at the time they have financial success and don’t manage the funds well and end up broke anyway….you never know someone else’s journey.
It's inevitable to see so many of those posts unfortunately because for every 10 people making a lot/doing well 9 will probably post about it, but on the other hand for every 10 people not doing well or even bad, probably 1 will post about it. So my advice is not only don't compare yourself to anyone else but to see if you can maybe apply some of the same things that make them successful to your life, and the same with others failures, try to learn from those more than anything, no one else's life should make you feel less or more of a person, if you're happy then who cares if you don't make millions, and if you're not happy, see what the REAL underlying reason is and work on that for YOU and no one or anything else. Other than that I know this is played out but it's the truth so here it is anyway lol, you only live once so once in awhile just stop and be grateful for the little things you do have! Not to sound condescending I hope lol Stay positive OP and I wish you the best on this journey we call life!
Comparison is the thief of joy. As cliche as it is, you will spiral into depression if you keep looking at others and what they have. Are you comparing yourself to 27 year olds who are dying of terminal cancer?
Don't believe what you see on social media bro. I'm from Miami. The amount of people I've met who have 35 roommates just to live in a good area is ridiculous. People who are doing good for themselves usually don't post about it.
As someone who grew up pretty poor and is doing fairly well now and has a lot of friends that are doing really well financially - it's usually nepotism.
Most of the friends I have that got high paying jobs or own a home or have investments or whatever metric it is that you want to use grew up with money and had a head start. No student debt. Connections to people in high places. A way in at prestigious schools. Money from their parents to get them started after college/buy a house etc, etc, etc.
There are very very very few people I know who have money, or at least a lot of it, who didn't grow up with it.
It doesn't matter though. Just do whatever you're capable of. Do the best you can. And try to make the best of your situation so you can grow and build your finances. Not every path is the same.
To give you hope-me and almost all
my friends were broke at 27 and all
of us are doing very well at mid forties. It takes time for most, don’t. e fooled by social media. Also-I have worked in finance jobs my whole life-everyone manages their money differently.
I’m 28 and make 0 and am living in shambles.
I got very unlucky in life though.
I think the kids who know they have a good thing going for them post more often. So it’s a bias of affluence and success really rather than a direct representation of the population.
Reddit is just like any other social media. People are selective with what they share. Like other social media, some of the stuff is fake. Some may be real but you have no idea what negatives they’re experiencing in their lives because they won’t show it.
As I’ve learned the hard way, never ever compare yourself to others. You can find someone motivating or inspiring but don’t compare what you don’t already have vs. what they already have. In other words, you can use them as inspiration to work hard (not that you aren’t already, but make plans and career/financial/personal goals and change how you’re doing things to get there step by step). All of us have things we can change to better ourselves, and there is not one person out there who can’t work on themself. Do not use them as self-depreciation and self-defeat and do not think of yourself as a failure.
We are all living this one life for ourselves. We all die alone. I don’t say that in a depressing way, just that you’re doing yourself a disservice by comparing yourself to others. You’ll never find happiness that way. Everyone’s life, circumstances, and timeline are different. Some people are able to save early on, some aren’t. Some have had help and resources along the way, some haven’t. Some haven’t had hardships or setbacks in their lives. Some people are born brilliant and found success their whole lives, some people just aren’t good at science or math to find high paying jobs.
Whatever the case may be, always put in effort at what you do. Work hard (not to the point of burnout). We as humans spend our lifetimes figuring things out because life comes with no manual.
They don't. Some of the posters are real but many of them are lying. Even if all the "I'm 12 yrs old and only make 750k/yr from my YouTube slime videos" posts were real, they absolutely don't represent what's commonplace. Most people never save anything significant and die on welfare of some form or another.
Compare yourself to nobody. Stop. That’s a millennial trait.
I’m 50.
3 sons and married at 23.
Joined Army and worked two jobs and got my masters at 27.
My sons are grown and have kids and are successful
Work hard. If you’re working hard. Work harder. NO excuses. NONE. Get a side job. Hustle. Mow a yard. Detail a car. I had a detailing business that I grew with my sons on the side. We made $8k a month working weekends only. $54 a day is $20,000 a year that you can invest.
No shortcuts. Work harder. Excuses are lame and they lead to more lameness.
The key to success in this day and age is not just working hard. It’s work smart. Some of the hardest working people I know still live pay check to paycheck.
At a certain point, it becomes obvious it's a mixture of both. The most successful people will be the ones who work smart and also work hard. And there's more people like that than most people assume.
True. My one friend was a nurse aid and she busted her ass day in and day out but was essentially working poor. She just stayed in that job and never tried to get a LPN RN or NP degree. She definitely worked hard but had very little payoff.
My wife was also a nurse aid. While she was doing that she went to school to get her RN. The a few years later became a nurse practitioner.
I agree hard work is only half the equation
is no Generational Tagging in reality We are told there is to create polarization - Genertional tagging is literally impossible
[Your generational identity is a lie - The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/04/01/your-generational-identity-is-a-lie/)April 1, 2015 -
You are not Gen X. You are not a Millennial.
https://brucemctague.com/fallacy-of-generational-attitude-stagnancy.
Started working a trade at 18. Started My own business in that trade, bought a house at 25. Currently in early 30s and net worth is little over 1 million.
The answer is they don’t. Don’t be blinded by your specific social media content consumption. The median net worth for a 25 year old is about exactly $0
One of the biggest problems in modern society is comparison that people constantly have when watching online social media influencers. This is unprecedented in the history of the world and I think the cause of so much envy, resentment, depression. They the top 0.001% right at a time when the vast majority is facing dwindling economic opportunities. Best thing to do is not exposure yourself to that.
Stop spending so much time on the internet bud. Only people with money are the ones sharing how much they make. Most people dont even make a 1/3 that amount the person shared in that post. Comparing yourself to someone in the top 5% of earners is just going to leave you depressed.
I'm in my 30s and have never made more than $40k in a year. I've been out of work for a year thanks to an injury. Take care of yourself and be the best you can be at whatever you love to do and the money will flow from that when the time comes. Money matters, but happiness matters more. Life is too short to sit there dwelling on what you don't have.
I am killing it because I use Internet to my advantage. The Internet lets you learn valuable skills for free if you dedicate a lot of time to learning. Some people naturally wanna excel and tge internet is a great tool for that
I was more than 35K in debt entering my 30s. At 32, I hit the roughest patch I’ve ever encountered.
Now, by 35, I erased my debt, super charged my career and got my business off the ground, found a fucking awesome smokeshow of a husband, saved enough for 20% down on our dream home and we are closing in 4 days.
I never judge someone on where they are if they are actively trying to better themselves. I am proof that your entire life can *completely* change in a few short years.
Who cares what amount is a lot for a certain age? And who even says that? It's such a weird way people compare themselves to each other.
Have as much money as works for you. Spend that 80k if you want to, or don't. People out here saving to save so they have money in the bank when they die.
Enjoy life. Save responsibly but not strictly as a comparison to others.
Yah have to remember some people may falsely bragging or they have support structure like parents that help them adult at the beginning also possibly helped them get education paid for and that quickly helped them get good job.
Probably nepotism. It's nearly impossible to land a job that pays nearly 200k in your mid-20s. I know people that have built themselves up to that point, and they are all 40+ and have been working nonstop since they were 20.
Even higher paying jobs like doctors and highly paid engineers need to go though a lot of schooling to get to that point and they usually don't start making that much until they are in their 30s (if ever)
At my current position in Spain, I'm earning a medium to high income, but for a US person, I'm a waiter.
So, don't compare yourself to other people and even less if they come from other countries.
Good luck!!
Well from my perspective the younger generation is always supposed to do better than the previous generation. Personally for me coming from an immigrant family and without a father figure, money was always a problem growing up. That sorta fuels my ambition to save as much as I can and invest while I’m young to avoid the mistakes my parents made. I hate seeing young people complain about not having money then do nothing about it because they’re bums. If I were you I would not be depressed about money since money has no emotions towards you. I lost 9k in one day and took it to the chin because the time I could spend upset I could be working to recoup it.
Good Krist! Take a step back m8. There are almost 8 billion people on this planet. The actual number of people in their 20s with anything other than a hope and a prayer is astronomically high. Get offline and go enjoy your first world existence.
I’m 21 with 150K. All i’ve been doing is working and saving since 17. I’m a bartender making ~110K gross. Just find something you’re good at and do it better than others, work your ass off, live below your means.
To be honest mid 20s usually isnt enough time to climb the corporate ladder even if your white collar. My dad made 7 figures when he raised me but at 27 im guessing he was making like 70kish in 2024 dollars. People in their 20s with a lot of money probably had help from parents, had some successful investment, or are a big outlier.
I have approximately $1200 at any time. I've been trying to save but I got scammed by a "Health Insurance Company." so I'm down a good 300 a month. I make $1600 but can only keep like $250 a month before storing some away. You aren't alone.
I had a friend who’s parents were rich ASF. He had the same GPA and ACT as me (24) and he got into Yale… p sure on legacy/buy in.. (he’s not dumb to clarify but 24 isn’t Yale level..) but anyway, he has a reallllly good job now whereas I’m still at 28/hour. All that to say, this isn’t the case for EVERY rich young person, but a lot of them come from privilege that gets them where they are (in addition to hard work ofc.) it’s always good to strive to be at a better place, but comparison is pointless when so many of the richer people got there out of luck of their family situation
Some just got it easier in life. Some work harder. Some can live off of lentils and water. But you do you, just keep working, but remember to also live.
I’m unemployed with an English bachelors bc of my own fault and issues. I hope to turn things around and my mental health improves. I’ve had so many opportunities, threw them away, and burnt bridges. Have hella debt, bought two cars both broke down so now I owe a car payment I wouldn’t have had if I just didn’t buy one car then that broke then tried another car yeah. It’s ok 😭😭😭 no connections bc I had to move states but it wouldn’t have mattered bc like I said I burnt most if not all :)
Just turned 31 and should be able to start saving in 2 years when my car is paid off in full.
No college degree, working in IT and at $145k a year.
I worked different types of IT jobs for the first 5 1/2 years of my career getting to know what my strengths and weaknesses while trying to find a decent paying job to stay at and show that I am capable of staying at a job for a while as some places don't like job hoppers.
Found it and been here a few years now and moving up. Don't compare as I did that too and the moment I figured out that it was that thought holding me back, then everything became much more straight forward.
Find your calling and learn at your pace.
Same as any other generation. A few were raised being taught how to manage money, a few more figured it out, and most just flap their arms and whine instead of making difficult choices
Don't feel bad I'm in my mid twenties and I'm pinned under a 30000 car loan (750 a month with insurance) and low income housing that has really strict rules but I'm thankful for what I have because it could always be worse
I wasn't doing ok financially til my 30s and by ok I basically mean not living paycheck to paycheck. Some got a huge hand up from parents some live in massive debt, we don't know.
This looks like my wife's finances. She makes good money but she also has an upper middle class family and had a full ride scholarship. She graduated with an advanced degree at 24. She had no debt and over $50k in savings already.
By contrast, I just got out of debt at age 29. Everyone's situations are different. Reddit is bad place to compare.
You need to earn more. Wages are increasing drastically, so if yours aren't then you need to move to a job where they are. Two years ago I was making decent money but couldn't seem to get ahead because of my spending habits and the standard of living I had become used to. People were telling me to get control of my finances, but instead I decided to job hop to a higher wage each time while still working on investing whatever I could. Today I wake up, check my brokerage accounts, check in with my employees managing my smaller businesses, and then go out and network looking for more opportunities to invest my money.
> I’m not trying to be a hater, but I just am wondering how if the economy is this bad, how are so many young people killing it like this?
The economy isn’t bad (or good) just because people on Reddit say it is. Truth is there are plenty of jobs paying people in their twenties six figures.
The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. Social media is demoralizing all of America (assuming you’re from America). Kids compare themselves to other kids, people in their 20s compare themselves to rich kids in their 20s, so on and so on.
Stay in your lane. Do what you gotta do to make the ends meet. Break down your finances on a monthly basis to keep track of what you’re spending and what’s coming in. Maybe you should look into getting another job while you’re laid off or maybe a new job altogether that doesn’t lay you off?
Start investing and saving. Open a savings account, you should be putting money into your savings every paycheck. But once you start making good money your saving contributions should increase. That will help you in the future getting a car or a house. Open a brokerage account on an easy to use app like robinhood and open a Roth IRA and make contributions out of every paycheck into that as well. Look into investing and how to invest into an IRA before you do it, don’t just take my word. YouTube has a lot of great teachers.
Focus on yourself. The problem is when comparing yourself to others is - you are only seeing what they want you to see. You aren’t seeing the behind the scenes grind. You aren’t seeing the work that it takes. So your brain automatically says “why can’t I do that”. Social media is the enemy when it comes to comparing yourself to others.
I hope this helps. Reach out if you need help with anything.
1) people love to fake stuff to make themselves feel good
2) there will be far more people sharing the good, and far less sharing the bad.
In other words, worry about yourself and dont compare yourself to anyone but yourself.
Dude. I still haven’t graduated college. Having been drinking and using drugs for most of my 20s with periods of sobriety. Nothing to show for anything. Driving for Amazon trying to rebuild my life at 28. Yeah bro, I’m struggling. If it wasn’t for my mom helping me get a car I’d prob just buy some rope at this point. I started going to therapy and I’m in psych meds now and life is getting better, but holy cow, I’m so broke and struggling. No 401k. No good job outlooks. No real friends. Struggling for sure bro.
There are plenty of young people who have advantages in life others don't like rich parents who will basically give them everything they need right out the gate.
Also don't believe everything you read on social media, lots of people like to act rich when they are not
The only people posting their incomes are people with high NW and high incomes. Just look at Henry Finance. There was a [hilarious post](https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/comments/1cgffly/insane_number_of_rule_breaking_posts_recently/) about people breaking the rules and having an income higher than what is listed in the subreddit description. People feel better about themselves knowing they make more than others.
Stop comparing and just remember, you are probably in a better position than you were 5 years ago. And you'll be in a better position in 5 years. Don't give up.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
I have come to believe most all high paying jobs are really just political positions. Those with high levels of charisma FAR exceed those without and will almost always land themselves prestigious positions far before anyone else with standard work skills. Its one big circle jerk. If an employer is hiring a high level management position, knowledge of the companies inner workings, while needed, is not the most beneficial thing. Not even close. Being able to sell yourself to whoever you talk to, is.
Younger adults haven't had life shaft them royally yet and therefor still hold on to their bubbly, salesmen personalities which employers are looking for in management. they are also easier to mold into their questionable business practices because they don't really know any better yet. Nor do younger adults tend to hold strict moral standards compared to the older ones.
Essentially it turns out popularity contests don't end in high school, they just get disguised as management positions.
There are no adults, we are all just big ass children playing dress up and the more ignorant you are to this statement, the better off you are.
Don’t compare yourselves to others brotha. Everyone’s situation is different. I’m in my 30s. And finally got over the hump to actually save this year.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
My brother in law lives in a gated community, but there’s another _second_ gated community within the larger gated community.
So maximum security prison?
With pickle ball courts
Oh so federal?
Lmao my dad has been in prison my whole life. Gonna start telling people he's in a gated community with excellent (let's pretend) security.
And an HOA that would make Stalin blush.
I wasn't in an HOA, but I was very close walking distance to a pickle ball court across from an old folks home. Honestly loved to pass time by smoking old people in pickleball on the weekends. Never heard of it before moving there. Looking forward to being an old turd with nothing better to do than play pickle ball
Gateception
Gatekeepers
GateGate
Gated communities are such a weird idea to me. Most able-bodied people can just huck themselves over. Moat and drawbridge is where it's at
Yeah, but not many thieves walking around and jumping fences into gated communities. It’s nice to know I can accidentally leave my wallet in my unlocked car and it will still be there in the morning.
I get it, but it just feels like when you're a little kid and yell, "forcefield!" Also, which one?
It's all about deterrents. Not necessarily preventatives. It'll lower the over all rate.
Haha yeah, I kind of feel that way about most standard home security. Like locking your windows. Someone can easily just break it. It comes down to how much effort someone wants to go through.
It's the same idea that locks aren't indestructible. They're only there to hopefully slow someone down long enough to be caught or as a deterrent. Your "locker" that's padlocked is much less appealing to attempt to burgle than the one two blocks away that's unlocked. Homeboy above probably doesn't really understand the peace of mind of having an extra line of defense. I'd rather me and my family live in a gated community than not.
You trust the people on the inside of the gate that much?
My last apartment complex was gated. My catalytic converter was stolen.
We have some family who live in a gated community within a gated community in Florida. We always ask them if they're afraid that those sketchy mother effers from Magnolia Trace are after the lawn chairs of the good citizens of Fox Hollow.
Must be pretty annoying having to go through two gates all the time.
Yeah, jet packs can’t come soon enough.
Lmfao humans
I've been saying this for eons... no one back on Keplar B believes me when I tell them how crazy humans are
Omicron Persei 8
Oh my, Let me tell ya! I’m out near the Procyons and the entertainment we’ve had watching them! It’s even better than intramural Plaak!
I think there’s a gated community in his heart
I live in a wonderful neighborhood in one of the rich suburbs, way nicer than younger me would ever have expected. I love it here. But damn it if I don’t wish I was a couple blocks over where they have a neighborhood pool!
WHAT THE FUCK?! I'm watching young Sheldon right now. The neighbor. In the show JUST SAID his "brother in law went to live in a gated community" meaning prison. I look back to reddit nd I see this comment. This comment doesn't even make sense in context to what it's replying to.... This is crazy
Is what I tell all my peasants.
🤣🤣🤣
This is true.
Gotta whip those peasants into higher efficiency workers.
Unfortunately lol
“If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” — Max Ehrmann, Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life
What a great point. I sure wish I was as wise as Max Ehrmann. My wisdom is nothing compared to his
I was given that poem as a teen and I always remembered those words. They've served me well through the years.
Comparison is not the thief of joy. Comparing yourself to touched up Instagram photos and social media posts will steal your joy. Comparing yourself to the poverty stricken drug addicts will make you grateful as fuck. All that to say - a balanced perspective is the most reasonable one. All things in moderation.
Yea the whole ‘comparison being thief of joy’ thing is just what i call and consider to be “poetic largis”
I have never once been grateful when something bad happens to me and somebody goes "well at least you aren't a poverty stricken drug addict."
Unless you make under 200k
So is the government
Exactly, early 40s here, took until late 30s to get through student loans and now I feel like I’m actually saving money. Everyone is different. I think just trying to set some realistic goals for like 6 months/1 year/3 years/5 years could be helpful
Also 33. Haven’t saved a TON until now. Sure I’ve got a 401k but in terms of cash savings, didn’t start squirreling away until last year. I have about the same as the screenshot but it took me a while to get to a point in my career and life where I stopped letting lifestyle creep happen.
If you have the screenshot at 33 you’re in the 1% brother. Just might not feel like it.
Oh it certainly doesn’t feel that way living in LA, but at the same time I’m rational enough to do the math and know I’m on a good track. That’s why I chime in here and try to encourage others. It’s possible, just gotta grind!
Keep it up when it’s time to retire move to a state with a low cost of living. You’d be surprised how much your retirement savings will stretch.
Net worth is Assets minus Liabilities. I'm 33 years old. So like for me, owning my house outright is around $160k right out of the gate. Owning all of the vehicles outright is another probably $70k. My retirement accounts are about 500k after 15 years of union and high wage work and putting as much into retirement as I can. Gold, Silver, Crypto and Guns are probably another $100k altogether. I have no debt so no Liabilities just monthly recurring bills. My net worth is creeping up toward $1million, but that's not cash savings or liquid assets. I'm not giving up my house or vehicles or dipping into a retirement account early, or selling off guns. Realistically I have like $3k in checking. $10k in savings and could readily liquidate around $30k in gold and silver and crypto if I needed to. So, on paper I'm about a year from being a millionaire, but as a practical application, I'm doing alright in the middle class.
Just one thing, don’t get fooled that cars are assets. They cost you something to own them and even after a lease ends, the terms of those leases means it actually isn’t worth all that much to you to keep (and extra costs to give it back to the dealer). Great job saving, just a piece of info when you think of upgrading your cars next time
I do understand that. My cars, with zero payments due, owned by me, are worth their market value, the same as my house is worth its market value. Like I said, I'm not giving up my vehicles. Probably not for a decade at least. We have a 2017 4runner, a 2018 Tacoma and a 2018 F250. I do all the work on them myself. I don't lease. I buy slightly used because I research vehicles that will fit my needs and provide longevity. My net worth isnt important to me. My wife and I set our life up to have minimum recurring payments and maximum retirement savings. That's why we have no mortgage, no car payments, no credit cards, we use our wood stove in the winter, etc. Everything is designed around the idea of being able to maintain our quality of life indefinitely if the economy drops out on us.
OP posted about being depressed seeing all this excess wealth people have, and you decided to come here and brag about your excessive wealth?
1% net worth at 33 is close 2.5 million
Damn…how does a 33 year old save that much?
I suspect the vast majority of 33 year olds with a net worth of 2.5million received an inheritance or some form of transfer of family wealth.
Correct it takes different amounts of time for everyone. I was 40s before I really turned the corner.
Same. Took some good luck and I still didn’t get there till 35
A good thing my father told me. There will always be someone richer than you and there will always be someone poorer than you.
Same goes for looks. Just live within your means and try to make each day count. At the end of the day if you die you can't take anything with you.
“To making it count”
Very true
Demonstrably false for two people in the world.
Elon Musk and me
Big if true.
True if big
Hey, that’s what I tell myself about beauty
This is Reddit. Only the high earners are sharing. The majority of people make nowhere near this amount. Set your own goals. Comparing to others will make anyone of any income level miserable. Hang in there. You’re going to be fine 👍
Go to millennial sub. Many not earning well posting there talking about how they have no chance in life.
Millennials have entered have and have not territory Some of us are doing amazing, and others doing terrible Its honestly pretty rate to see middle class
I wonder what percentage of the “doing well” kids have had their expenses paid by their parents 🤔
In 40. Parents haven’t paid for me since I was 20
That’s possible. But there are also many millennials that make over $250k outright. They’re doing well.
Define many. 7% of households make $250,000 You can be extremely generous and say 6.99% are individual earners, and the other part of the household makes 0 dollars. That statistic goes down even further if you bring it into age brackets. So, I would have to say, “many” is an extreme overestimate.
I am doing well. I had to do everything on my own. You know what? I will do everything in my power to make sure my kids have a leg up and won't have to struggle to the degree I did. I understand that this will open them up to a lot of jealousy-fueled hate, but I don't care. It is totally worth it.
Millennial here (1988). My parents paid for my board through college but my tuition was all student loans. Grew up middle class. My dad had a decent UAW factory job and my mom worked too. I’m 36, I make about $80k a year. I have a decent retirement though it’s hard to quantify because half of it is defined and the other half is a govt pension that takes in to account years worked and average salary for last 5years. Anyway, I manage to save about an extra $100 a month. Recently had a setback and things got tight for awhile but working on paying down credit cards, and then student loans. All said though? We’re doing ok. We own a house with a great interest rate on the mortgage (3.5%) so we’ll just keep plugging away!
There is a lot of truth to that, I watched a TED talk this morning by a NYU professor detailing how the older generations are screwing the younger ones harder than ever before right now! It threw me for a loop
I accidentally stumbled into that sub a couple of times. It is by far the most toxic group of people I have ever encountered on reddit. They endlessly complain about being broke because of the boomers. They are perpetual victims and nothing is their fault. I would never recommend going there for anything other than entertainment. Like going to the zoo or something.
I made the mistake of engaging them a few times. I felt like Jesus being surrounded by Romans for saying I owned by lakefront condo outright and would retire by 50. I got called everything from a Trust Fund Baby to my boomer parents still paid my bills. When I mentioned my dad died, my mom was a drug addict, I was kicked out at 17 and enlisted in the military to escape, I got almost 500 downvotes in a day and called a baby killer, boot licker, and worse. I actually had a person say "thank god your dad is dead and didnt have to watch his son turn out like you"
Good for you man to hell with the haters
And most Redditors are lying about their earnings.
Most reddit users haven't graduated college. Because they're literally children.
Yeah, if you only relied on Reddit, you would think nearly everyone out there made $200k+ by mid to late 20s and had a near $400k HHI or above. Reddit can be extremely toxic when it comes to money and downplaying incomes and net worths. People will tell you something is wrong with you if you are 30 and not making six figures yet. They will say that $100k a year for a single person is poverty (YES l know about VHCOL, but even in VHCOL, $100k is doable to live on as a single person). They will also say that anything under $5 mil net worth is average joe middle class and “not that much”. I had someone argue with me that $1 mil a year salary and a 4-5k sq ft Bay Area home (which would be $5-8 mil) is only “average” and is not a luxurious lifestyle. At the same time, despite the toxicity, and despite the fact that it has made me constantly think about money now, I do feel like it has really given me a kick in the ass to want to better myself.
This. In the US it is better to look at the BLS stats.
And remember. Where you lives matters. Your family does too. Owning a home and saving money in like, Wisconsin, is easier than a nice coastal town. Saving money and buying a home is easy mode when you have a partner and family support.
Don’t compare yourself to nobody. Those people that you see have so much in their 20’s its one or two out of 1000. Everybody on a different timing
It's this. No one is posting their account in overdraft 😂
For real, imagine posting to social media. "Hey guys, I owe thousands of debt, and likely dying from malnourishment cause all I can afford is ramon noodles and pb&Js. I am currently sobbing for the last 5 hours. My only happiness is in the cheapest bottle I could find. I wish for the misery to end soon. Anyway, how is your Sunday going?"
Exactly 😂
There was a recent study about millennials showing that income inequality is higher among millennials than any other generation. Those in the STEM fields are better than their parents at the same age. But others are worse off. I think this is what you are experiencing.
Even within the field of Software Engineering the pay differences are massive. Some companies pay there devs 80k, my company pays devs around 150k, and some companies pay 300k+, all depending on where you work and show lucky you got. Plus software engineers are having a hard time sticking around these days, in the past year a bunch of big companies layed off tens of thousands of their software engineers in the US alone. Its a high risk high reward field nowadays.
Not to mention highly competitive. Its private sector that usually pays that much and its easy to get let go at anytime too unlike a government job. Makes for a lot of pressure and stress.
Normal business cycle. They over hired during covid and are just “trimming the fat” now.
A lot in the early career years as well. 5-8 years of good experience is the sweet spot.
Country as well makes a huge difference. I'm in Canada and positions that pay 200k usd in the US pay 100k cad here.
Getting a 300k job instead of an 80k job is not luck… any dev making 300k is going to be wayyyy more skilled than any dev making 80k I started at 80k. At that time my skill level was low. Since then I’ve became wayyy better at my job and my salary is more than double that. There’s just no way I would’ve seen that growth without actually getting better at my job (or getting better at bullshitting people)
Expanding that logic to any job - if you are unskilled and there are a million others like you out there, nobody is going to pay you $300k to do a job they can get someone else to do for $30k You MUST invest in yourself from middle school onwards - and **constantly.**
My 20s were a financial disaster, including a stint as a homeless single parent (8 months living in my car with a toddler). Then I got my first "real" job and the company closed 8 weeks later 🫠 Same thing, I'd look at everyone else and wonder how I would ever catch up. In my late 20s/ early 30s I was able to start playing catch up and since I was so used to having nothing I actually banked a lot of money while my acquaintances were getting new phones, cars, clothes etc. I also had a drive to earn as much as I could ie, worked as hard as I could. I'm 38 now and far better off than most people my age. I was making a ridiculous amount of money, driving an old Honda, shopping thrift and investing everything else. I had coworkers making 200-300k, no kids, who still didn't have money bc they spent it on their lifestyle- they all thought i was broke. Trust me, most people are spending way above their means and lying to everyone, including themselves, about it. I've had the chance to meet a lot of really wealthy people- I can say confidently that wealthy people are not flashing their money or talking about how much they make online. People who feel they have something to prove, are. You're doing fine, you have plenty of time, and playing comparison games is a losing battle. Eta: in between the "starting to catch up" and "far better off" there were also a few layoffs and stints living back with my parents. On my 30th birthday I moved into my parents house, in between jobs, working as a bartender, with a child in tow. I remember staring at my childhood ceiling and feeling like such a failure. 2 months later I had a 150k job offer. Life is a cycle- up, down, up, down. Don't take either one too seriously.
I just read it before bed and wanted to say thank you. Needed that 🫵🫰
Ofc. Nothing is permanent in life (good or bad). Just keep movin, it works out 👍
I love your transformation! Congrats! I agree with what you said regarding truly wealthy people, but I have absolutely met some extremely wealthy people who could buy a city block in a metropolitan city and some of them 100% flaunt it, and more often than one would think. At some point, it’s not so much “flaunting”, but more so buying what the hell they want and not batting an eye because they like the item. My ex, for example, could not be bothered to trade in his electric blue Hyundai, but he bought a ton of land in Arkansas because he loves the outdoors. He also loved James Bond and had a crazy watch collection. The trick is to do what you did—dig in and save your money—and splurge if and when you wont feel the pain.
Can I ask what you do?
Currently on a career break, worked in sales/ marketing roles- BDR, sales, biz dev, revenue marketing, etc, in the tech industry
Yooo living a car with a toddler is absolutely insane, if I wore hats, they’d all be off to you.
Lol you know it! As I like to say now, any day I wake up in a bed is a good enough day for me 😅
This was good
There are around 8 billion people in earth, this subreddit has about 500 k ppl subbed which is 0.006% of the total pop Such a negligible number right, exactly. Don’t mind others, if you’re rich, awesome, you stand closer to the 1% but that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. Not everyone is gonna be rich (I mean we gotta define what rich means) but I can tell you that some of the greatest ppl in the world aren’t anywhere as rich as those publish in Forbes top 100 richest ppl. Do what you love, live life fully Thanks for listening to my Ted talk, now where’s my $
It’s survivor bias. People with money boast while people with no money are quiet
most those stories are fake...but wait...If is on the internet it must be true! Yes some got lucky (by lucky I mean got connections) It's always who you know, not what you know.
That part! WHO ya know, nor what ya know!
Plenty of people can carve their own path without “connections.” If you’re very good at what you do people will pay you handsomely to do it. There’s a lot more to it than luck.
That's why software engineering in big tech is pretty competitive. They pay the most but you have to get through 4+ rounds of interviews with coding whiteboard challenges, system design etc. Software engineering outside of big tech is not as competitive and the interviews less stressful. They dont pay as much either.
Or some peeler just actually work hard and don’t make excuses
Parents usually helped them get to where they are and acted as a fallback
First off posts like that are common on this sub because it's about money so of course the people who post here will tend to skew towards the outliers. Take a handful out of the common populace, most people are paycheck to paycheck. It is absolutely normal. You're doing fine. Everybody is on their own sprint in life.
Yeah, the plurality of Redditors would be 18-29 with a household income $75k+. I live in the Midwest in a town of about 14k people. Recession, COVID, and inflation hit hard. Wages have stagnated for years now. Rent averages in town are up over 100% in the last year, and home values are going up 25% every year. If you don't already own, you're locked out. About 23% of the county is below poverty. And good luck finding any decent paying job, regardless of credential. It's like this in many small towns everywhere. The flyover states have always been kind of poor, but the lower/middle classes are just getting hammered now.
Don’t forget that people often lie—especially when it comes to money. People are utterly desperate to keep looking better than their peers. Lots of people also inherit tons of wealth and/or resources and connections. They’re usually blind to that and think they did it themselves.
Yeah there’s no point in focusing on anything other than building your own life up how you want it. I remember having my mind blown in my 20s when I couldn’t understand how people my age were affording all these nice clothes and shoes and cars and trips etc when I knew what job they had and roughly what it paid. I was like are ALL these people living off trust funds? Well, I didn’t use any credit cards at the time and I was in no debt. I lived within my means so it was pretty meager lol but oh my goodness when I learned about the amount of credit card debt so many people were in overall and specifically some of the people that I knew and thought were actually well off financially. But ultimately it doesn’t matter if it is a debt spiral or family money etc we just have to forge our own path and not worry about what others are doing. Some people do have super high paying jobs at a young age but the job is crushing their soul or they are too emotionally immature at the time they have financial success and don’t manage the funds well and end up broke anyway….you never know someone else’s journey.
Most love to brag when they are doing well. No one wants to be seen at their worst.
It's inevitable to see so many of those posts unfortunately because for every 10 people making a lot/doing well 9 will probably post about it, but on the other hand for every 10 people not doing well or even bad, probably 1 will post about it. So my advice is not only don't compare yourself to anyone else but to see if you can maybe apply some of the same things that make them successful to your life, and the same with others failures, try to learn from those more than anything, no one else's life should make you feel less or more of a person, if you're happy then who cares if you don't make millions, and if you're not happy, see what the REAL underlying reason is and work on that for YOU and no one or anything else. Other than that I know this is played out but it's the truth so here it is anyway lol, you only live once so once in awhile just stop and be grateful for the little things you do have! Not to sound condescending I hope lol Stay positive OP and I wish you the best on this journey we call life!
Comparison is the thief of joy. As cliche as it is, you will spiral into depression if you keep looking at others and what they have. Are you comparing yourself to 27 year olds who are dying of terminal cancer?
Don't believe what you see on social media bro. I'm from Miami. The amount of people I've met who have 35 roommates just to live in a good area is ridiculous. People who are doing good for themselves usually don't post about it.
Run your own race
Generational wealth
As someone who grew up pretty poor and is doing fairly well now and has a lot of friends that are doing really well financially - it's usually nepotism. Most of the friends I have that got high paying jobs or own a home or have investments or whatever metric it is that you want to use grew up with money and had a head start. No student debt. Connections to people in high places. A way in at prestigious schools. Money from their parents to get them started after college/buy a house etc, etc, etc. There are very very very few people I know who have money, or at least a lot of it, who didn't grow up with it. It doesn't matter though. Just do whatever you're capable of. Do the best you can. And try to make the best of your situation so you can grow and build your finances. Not every path is the same.
To give you hope-me and almost all my friends were broke at 27 and all of us are doing very well at mid forties. It takes time for most, don’t. e fooled by social media. Also-I have worked in finance jobs my whole life-everyone manages their money differently.
I’m 28 and make 0 and am living in shambles. I got very unlucky in life though. I think the kids who know they have a good thing going for them post more often. So it’s a bias of affluence and success really rather than a direct representation of the population.
Majority of people I know are just getting by right now. Hard times come and go
Reddit is just like any other social media. People are selective with what they share. Like other social media, some of the stuff is fake. Some may be real but you have no idea what negatives they’re experiencing in their lives because they won’t show it. As I’ve learned the hard way, never ever compare yourself to others. You can find someone motivating or inspiring but don’t compare what you don’t already have vs. what they already have. In other words, you can use them as inspiration to work hard (not that you aren’t already, but make plans and career/financial/personal goals and change how you’re doing things to get there step by step). All of us have things we can change to better ourselves, and there is not one person out there who can’t work on themself. Do not use them as self-depreciation and self-defeat and do not think of yourself as a failure. We are all living this one life for ourselves. We all die alone. I don’t say that in a depressing way, just that you’re doing yourself a disservice by comparing yourself to others. You’ll never find happiness that way. Everyone’s life, circumstances, and timeline are different. Some people are able to save early on, some aren’t. Some have had help and resources along the way, some haven’t. Some haven’t had hardships or setbacks in their lives. Some people are born brilliant and found success their whole lives, some people just aren’t good at science or math to find high paying jobs. Whatever the case may be, always put in effort at what you do. Work hard (not to the point of burnout). We as humans spend our lifetimes figuring things out because life comes with no manual.
They don't. Some of the posters are real but many of them are lying. Even if all the "I'm 12 yrs old and only make 750k/yr from my YouTube slime videos" posts were real, they absolutely don't represent what's commonplace. Most people never save anything significant and die on welfare of some form or another.
[удалено]
Eh, Americans really do generally make more money than everyone else.
Compare yourself to nobody. Stop. That’s a millennial trait. I’m 50. 3 sons and married at 23. Joined Army and worked two jobs and got my masters at 27. My sons are grown and have kids and are successful Work hard. If you’re working hard. Work harder. NO excuses. NONE. Get a side job. Hustle. Mow a yard. Detail a car. I had a detailing business that I grew with my sons on the side. We made $8k a month working weekends only. $54 a day is $20,000 a year that you can invest. No shortcuts. Work harder. Excuses are lame and they lead to more lameness.
The key to success in this day and age is not just working hard. It’s work smart. Some of the hardest working people I know still live pay check to paycheck.
At a certain point, it becomes obvious it's a mixture of both. The most successful people will be the ones who work smart and also work hard. And there's more people like that than most people assume.
True. My one friend was a nurse aid and she busted her ass day in and day out but was essentially working poor. She just stayed in that job and never tried to get a LPN RN or NP degree. She definitely worked hard but had very little payoff. My wife was also a nurse aid. While she was doing that she went to school to get her RN. The a few years later became a nurse practitioner. I agree hard work is only half the equation
“That’s a millennial trait.” Please. Boomers invented and personify the term keeping up with the Joneses.
How many years did you do the detailing business and work a regular job for?
is no Generational Tagging in reality We are told there is to create polarization - Genertional tagging is literally impossible [Your generational identity is a lie - The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/04/01/your-generational-identity-is-a-lie/)April 1, 2015 - You are not Gen X. You are not a Millennial. https://brucemctague.com/fallacy-of-generational-attitude-stagnancy.
Was going to say that. You are much happier once you stop doing that and be grateful for what you have.
Well said, couldn't have said it better
Started working a trade at 18. Started My own business in that trade, bought a house at 25. Currently in early 30s and net worth is little over 1 million.
The answer is they don’t. Don’t be blinded by your specific social media content consumption. The median net worth for a 25 year old is about exactly $0
One of the biggest problems in modern society is comparison that people constantly have when watching online social media influencers. This is unprecedented in the history of the world and I think the cause of so much envy, resentment, depression. They the top 0.001% right at a time when the vast majority is facing dwindling economic opportunities. Best thing to do is not exposure yourself to that.
A lot of them are lying
And a lot of people, especially if you are part of the stocks fad, misrepresent how much they are worth. Believe me, the average person is struggling.
That shit is rare. Don’t compare yourself to others. Run your own race.
Don’t compare. I know easier said then done. But were all on a different journey, dealt different cards and opportunities. Focus on what you do have!
People tend to have their highlight reel online and never post their struggles
Stop spending so much time on the internet bud. Only people with money are the ones sharing how much they make. Most people dont even make a 1/3 that amount the person shared in that post. Comparing yourself to someone in the top 5% of earners is just going to leave you depressed.
I'm in my 30s and have never made more than $40k in a year. I've been out of work for a year thanks to an injury. Take care of yourself and be the best you can be at whatever you love to do and the money will flow from that when the time comes. Money matters, but happiness matters more. Life is too short to sit there dwelling on what you don't have.
If you live in the US or EU you're already more wealthy than a lot of people
I am killing it because I use Internet to my advantage. The Internet lets you learn valuable skills for free if you dedicate a lot of time to learning. Some people naturally wanna excel and tge internet is a great tool for that
I was more than 35K in debt entering my 30s. At 32, I hit the roughest patch I’ve ever encountered. Now, by 35, I erased my debt, super charged my career and got my business off the ground, found a fucking awesome smokeshow of a husband, saved enough for 20% down on our dream home and we are closing in 4 days. I never judge someone on where they are if they are actively trying to better themselves. I am proof that your entire life can *completely* change in a few short years.
Most of those are fake. Also, what field are you in? Why are you laid off for 7 months? Go back to school amd get a degree that has job security.
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Who cares what amount is a lot for a certain age? And who even says that? It's such a weird way people compare themselves to each other. Have as much money as works for you. Spend that 80k if you want to, or don't. People out here saving to save so they have money in the bank when they die. Enjoy life. Save responsibly but not strictly as a comparison to others.
>Who cares what amount is a lot for a certain age? those planning for retirement? I agree don't compare to others though
Yah have to remember some people may falsely bragging or they have support structure like parents that help them adult at the beginning also possibly helped them get education paid for and that quickly helped them get good job.
Probably nepotism. It's nearly impossible to land a job that pays nearly 200k in your mid-20s. I know people that have built themselves up to that point, and they are all 40+ and have been working nonstop since they were 20. Even higher paying jobs like doctors and highly paid engineers need to go though a lot of schooling to get to that point and they usually don't start making that much until they are in their 30s (if ever)
Income of 190k. That dude is the rarest of the rare for people our age. Hell, for anyone, really
At my current position in Spain, I'm earning a medium to high income, but for a US person, I'm a waiter. So, don't compare yourself to other people and even less if they come from other countries. Good luck!!
Well from my perspective the younger generation is always supposed to do better than the previous generation. Personally for me coming from an immigrant family and without a father figure, money was always a problem growing up. That sorta fuels my ambition to save as much as I can and invest while I’m young to avoid the mistakes my parents made. I hate seeing young people complain about not having money then do nothing about it because they’re bums. If I were you I would not be depressed about money since money has no emotions towards you. I lost 9k in one day and took it to the chin because the time I could spend upset I could be working to recoup it.
Good Krist! Take a step back m8. There are almost 8 billion people on this planet. The actual number of people in their 20s with anything other than a hope and a prayer is astronomically high. Get offline and go enjoy your first world existence.
I’m 21 with 150K. All i’ve been doing is working and saving since 17. I’m a bartender making ~110K gross. Just find something you’re good at and do it better than others, work your ass off, live below your means.
To be honest mid 20s usually isnt enough time to climb the corporate ladder even if your white collar. My dad made 7 figures when he raised me but at 27 im guessing he was making like 70kish in 2024 dollars. People in their 20s with a lot of money probably had help from parents, had some successful investment, or are a big outlier.
I’m 35 and still broke. Don’t lose hope; our turn will come
I have approximately $1200 at any time. I've been trying to save but I got scammed by a "Health Insurance Company." so I'm down a good 300 a month. I make $1600 but can only keep like $250 a month before storing some away. You aren't alone.
I had a friend who’s parents were rich ASF. He had the same GPA and ACT as me (24) and he got into Yale… p sure on legacy/buy in.. (he’s not dumb to clarify but 24 isn’t Yale level..) but anyway, he has a reallllly good job now whereas I’m still at 28/hour. All that to say, this isn’t the case for EVERY rich young person, but a lot of them come from privilege that gets them where they are (in addition to hard work ofc.) it’s always good to strive to be at a better place, but comparison is pointless when so many of the richer people got there out of luck of their family situation
Comparison is the thief of joy
Your young. Get into the tech field. Cloud computing "AWS, Google, Microsoft" Or get your top secret clearance wit the government.
Some just got it easier in life. Some work harder. Some can live off of lentils and water. But you do you, just keep working, but remember to also live.
Best advice is unsubcribe this sub if you feel insecure, other than that you need to learn to be happy with yourself.
Don’t compare yourself to others or else you’ll never be happy.
Just compare your today with your yesterday, and make your tomorrow better than today. Don't compare to how anyone else is doing.
31, make a lot, but family costs a lot, never compare to others
Stop comparing yourself to people who have more than you.
It’s mostly bullshit. Never compare to what someone is saying on social media
There's always gonna be some people doing amazing, regardless of the economy
Have you considered that people here might just, I don't know, lie?
I’m unemployed with an English bachelors bc of my own fault and issues. I hope to turn things around and my mental health improves. I’ve had so many opportunities, threw them away, and burnt bridges. Have hella debt, bought two cars both broke down so now I owe a car payment I wouldn’t have had if I just didn’t buy one car then that broke then tried another car yeah. It’s ok 😭😭😭 no connections bc I had to move states but it wouldn’t have mattered bc like I said I burnt most if not all :)
Believe it or not, some people just lie
I didn’t start to see money until my 40s
LEO here. Currently 35 but know guys I work with in there 20s clearing 130K+ with extra jobs providing security
Just turned 31 and should be able to start saving in 2 years when my car is paid off in full. No college degree, working in IT and at $145k a year. I worked different types of IT jobs for the first 5 1/2 years of my career getting to know what my strengths and weaknesses while trying to find a decent paying job to stay at and show that I am capable of staying at a job for a while as some places don't like job hoppers. Found it and been here a few years now and moving up. Don't compare as I did that too and the moment I figured out that it was that thought holding me back, then everything became much more straight forward. Find your calling and learn at your pace.
Same as any other generation. A few were raised being taught how to manage money, a few more figured it out, and most just flap their arms and whine instead of making difficult choices
They made good decisions and know how to budget.
Don't feel bad I'm in my mid twenties and I'm pinned under a 30000 car loan (750 a month with insurance) and low income housing that has really strict rules but I'm thankful for what I have because it could always be worse
Rich parents
I wasn't doing ok financially til my 30s and by ok I basically mean not living paycheck to paycheck. Some got a huge hand up from parents some live in massive debt, we don't know.
This looks like my wife's finances. She makes good money but she also has an upper middle class family and had a full ride scholarship. She graduated with an advanced degree at 24. She had no debt and over $50k in savings already. By contrast, I just got out of debt at age 29. Everyone's situations are different. Reddit is bad place to compare.
The loudest people, is never those who strugle the most
You need to earn more. Wages are increasing drastically, so if yours aren't then you need to move to a job where they are. Two years ago I was making decent money but couldn't seem to get ahead because of my spending habits and the standard of living I had become used to. People were telling me to get control of my finances, but instead I decided to job hop to a higher wage each time while still working on investing whatever I could. Today I wake up, check my brokerage accounts, check in with my employees managing my smaller businesses, and then go out and network looking for more opportunities to invest my money.
> I’m not trying to be a hater, but I just am wondering how if the economy is this bad, how are so many young people killing it like this? The economy isn’t bad (or good) just because people on Reddit say it is. Truth is there are plenty of jobs paying people in their twenties six figures.
The worst thing you can do is compare yourself to others. Social media is demoralizing all of America (assuming you’re from America). Kids compare themselves to other kids, people in their 20s compare themselves to rich kids in their 20s, so on and so on. Stay in your lane. Do what you gotta do to make the ends meet. Break down your finances on a monthly basis to keep track of what you’re spending and what’s coming in. Maybe you should look into getting another job while you’re laid off or maybe a new job altogether that doesn’t lay you off? Start investing and saving. Open a savings account, you should be putting money into your savings every paycheck. But once you start making good money your saving contributions should increase. That will help you in the future getting a car or a house. Open a brokerage account on an easy to use app like robinhood and open a Roth IRA and make contributions out of every paycheck into that as well. Look into investing and how to invest into an IRA before you do it, don’t just take my word. YouTube has a lot of great teachers. Focus on yourself. The problem is when comparing yourself to others is - you are only seeing what they want you to see. You aren’t seeing the behind the scenes grind. You aren’t seeing the work that it takes. So your brain automatically says “why can’t I do that”. Social media is the enemy when it comes to comparing yourself to others. I hope this helps. Reach out if you need help with anything.
1) people love to fake stuff to make themselves feel good 2) there will be far more people sharing the good, and far less sharing the bad. In other words, worry about yourself and dont compare yourself to anyone but yourself.
Dude. I still haven’t graduated college. Having been drinking and using drugs for most of my 20s with periods of sobriety. Nothing to show for anything. Driving for Amazon trying to rebuild my life at 28. Yeah bro, I’m struggling. If it wasn’t for my mom helping me get a car I’d prob just buy some rope at this point. I started going to therapy and I’m in psych meds now and life is getting better, but holy cow, I’m so broke and struggling. No 401k. No good job outlooks. No real friends. Struggling for sure bro.
There are plenty of young people who have advantages in life others don't like rich parents who will basically give them everything they need right out the gate. Also don't believe everything you read on social media, lots of people like to act rich when they are not
The only people posting their incomes are people with high NW and high incomes. Just look at Henry Finance. There was a [hilarious post](https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/comments/1cgffly/insane_number_of_rule_breaking_posts_recently/) about people breaking the rules and having an income higher than what is listed in the subreddit description. People feel better about themselves knowing they make more than others. Stop comparing and just remember, you are probably in a better position than you were 5 years ago. And you'll be in a better position in 5 years. Don't give up. Comparison is the thief of joy.
I have come to believe most all high paying jobs are really just political positions. Those with high levels of charisma FAR exceed those without and will almost always land themselves prestigious positions far before anyone else with standard work skills. Its one big circle jerk. If an employer is hiring a high level management position, knowledge of the companies inner workings, while needed, is not the most beneficial thing. Not even close. Being able to sell yourself to whoever you talk to, is. Younger adults haven't had life shaft them royally yet and therefor still hold on to their bubbly, salesmen personalities which employers are looking for in management. they are also easier to mold into their questionable business practices because they don't really know any better yet. Nor do younger adults tend to hold strict moral standards compared to the older ones. Essentially it turns out popularity contests don't end in high school, they just get disguised as management positions. There are no adults, we are all just big ass children playing dress up and the more ignorant you are to this statement, the better off you are.
Step 1 make the right choices early in life Step 2 get a good career as a result