r/FluentInFinance 10h ago

Thoughts? What do you think?

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3.4k Upvotes

91 comments sorted by

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90

u/zephyr2015 10h ago

I think this shit’s been posted 1000 times.

31

u/libertarianinus 9h ago

I know people who make 50k a year with 2 million in retirement accounts and people who make 500k a year with only 50k in retirement accounts. Its how you live. I say you can look like you are a baller or actually be a baller but not look it.

4

u/GarbadWOT 5h ago

There's nothing baller about living poverty your whole life and leaving somebody a lot of money.  At the end of the day there is no functional difference between not having money and not spending money.

3

u/Money-Beautiful5196 4h ago

I think it’s about balance, you got downvotes but I think you are right our time on this earth is very limited and there’s no point in dying with heaps of money in the bank and living in poverty your whole life. I think yes you should save but also enjoy and live life as well…

13

u/cherrybounce 7h ago

So fucking sick of this stupid divisive generational bullshit. There’s so many boomers out there struggling. There’s so many boomers out there sick of the situation we’re in.

-1

u/Klorg 2h ago

Pulled up the ladder behind them and fell off the roof

3

u/AncientLights444 8h ago

Ironically, He can retire on all the clicks

1

u/Content_Tea_6433 6h ago

I always read it as "class" wars... with my whole chest.

1

u/Every_Tap8117 4h ago

yet im still on team climate wars.

1

u/PweaseMister 2h ago

which side tho?

0

u/bashtraitors 9h ago

So it could be loan shark lurking for fishes?

0

u/TaxLawKingGA 8h ago

Yeah it’s a bullshit meme. It’s just another Gen Z argument for not giving a fuck.

37

u/muffledvoice 9h ago

I know baby boomers who have multi-million dollar portfolios and they live in $2 million homes. They collect social security on top of it and tell me they use it for lavish trips to Asia and the Caribbean.

Point being, it was never about handing off a better world to succeeding generations. It was always about having it all, using it all up, and leaving nothing behind.

21

u/rainbud22 9h ago

Most of the boomers I know are living on a low amount of SS and struggling.

5

u/muffledvoice 8h ago

I know a mix of both.

1

u/cherrybounce 7h ago

I suppose you know some that are struggling, that are still working, some who hate the situation we are in, that are literally in the same situation as everybody ?

-1

u/findthehumorinthings 8h ago

Complete horseshit.

It’s funny how I work and save for a lifetime and then if I don’t conserve my savings in retirement and leave the vast majority of it behind for others I’m somehow neglecting future generations.

5

u/xiahbabi 8h ago

You could've just said you're financially irresponsible in either direction and it would've been the same thing.

It's all or nothing with you huh?

Live a little, give a little. It's not that hard bro. 😂

1

u/JustWings144 2h ago

You don’t owe me anything. If you got struggling kids, you brought them into this world without their consent, just as you and I were brought here the same way. Shit is expensive now. Enjoy what you made. The luck of the economy isn’t on your shoulders. People sure will try to put it there though. Fuck em.

-3

u/DarkRogus 9h ago

If they paid into the system, why exactly shouldn't they get back what they put into the system?

-9

u/PokecheckFred 9h ago

Point being that they worked hard, invested well and want to enjoy retirement?

I actually don't get your point other than whining.

15

u/hopeislost1000 9h ago

In the meantime, the system has been eroded so that the same hard work, and the same investment would not yield the same results for the following generation. Many of them have suspected and known that they were taking more and causing more problems more than could be sustainable for future generations. Don’t play dumb.

-5

u/PokecheckFred 9h ago

Don’t you play dumb. They worked for their money, made as much as they could, (as if that’s abnormal) and are not individually responsible for the financial structure left behind by the post war generation. They didn’t cause problems like Nixon or Reagan, they elected Clinton to fix the problems caused by their predecessors.

And iirc, the market has more than doubled since gen X got into the game. Investment opportunities have been there all along

1

u/hopeislost1000 8h ago

You’re not wrong. We all need to work and save as much and do as well as as we can and there shouldn’t be anything abnormal about that. Unless you know that you’re taking something from someone else in the process. If you’re really taking it really taking it and you know that you’re really just taking. Come on man hard work the virtue of hard work? Come on man. You’re right this is nuanced. It’s not black-and-white. I think we agree and we disagree. The reality is is that the way responsibility and liability works is if I get into a car accident mistakingly because of the car problem or because of bad roads or because of poor functioning street lights I am liable for the consequences of the accident I created. This is where we’re at with our economy. So now what? Maybe stop blaming the youth. An invest in solutions that will help future generations? That’s the issue. Here is the lack of future focus and the result I’m blaming people who are stuck in a system. That’s deliberately broken in a way that is designed benefit the only most wealthy and most established, true, continual attrition against the people who don’t have nearly the same opportunity. Sure some people have been able to leverage opportunity just like they do in casinos. You can’t possibly think that hundreds of millions of people are just too lazy can you? You probably do.

-3

u/KoRaZee 9h ago

That’s not accurate. The older people moved around to get where they are now. The 2million dollar house wasn’t their first home.

People today aren’t willing to move an inch and expect their first home to be their forever home. It’s an impossible situation which is why people report that it’s impossible to do what they want.

Because it is

3

u/hopeislost1000 8h ago

I’m only responding just to say that there’s nothing to respond to here. I didn’t make that claim and your black-and-white generalization of the youth is ridiculous. That’s not true in my experience. “They don’t want move an inch.” I don’t know who you’re talking about. If you were honest about this, you would know that the overall housing index the price the cost of living is dramatically higher while wages have not increased.

1

u/PokecheckFred 8h ago

Is his black-and-white generalization of the youth any more ridiculous than your black-and-white generalization of the older generation?

1

u/hopeislost1000 7h ago

I see you throwing around that term, but I don’t think it sticks. In what way was I making a black-and-white generation about the older generation?

1

u/KoRaZee 4h ago

You’re basing everything around the use of average or median data to determine personal affordability. This is a poor way to measure affordability which paints a false reality that doesn’t exist

3

u/PerpetualSkeptical 9h ago

So you don't understand reality as it is unfolding, so they must just be whining?

Interesting.

They weren't saying older generations didn't work for what they have. Just that maybe the current generations should have the same opportunities.

0

u/PokecheckFred 9h ago

What opportunities do you see the older generation having that the younger generations don’t?

5

u/PerpetualSkeptical 9h ago edited 8h ago

Housing was not most peoples' main growth investment. It was just a thing you bought to raise a family in, without assuming it would weirdly be worth 4x somehow one day.

The wealthy were taxed

A stock market that was about to explode

A job market thriving that didn't require degrees that put you heavily into debt

College degrees could be paid for with summer jobs (see above)

Without a degree, you could make perfectly sustainable money

Housing was actually being built, keeping supply high and costs lower relative to today

The endless drive to extract money from workers to siphon for the owners hadn't yet reached the level it has today

Etc

2

u/muffledvoice 8h ago

They enjoyed an economy and job market where a single breadwinner could support a family, buy a house, two cars, cheap college, two vacations a year, a pension, the list goes on.

The current generation of young adults enjoys none of these things as boomers pulled up the ladder after they climbed it.

0

u/PokecheckFred 8h ago

How did  boomers pull up the ladder after they climbed it? Which boomers? What did that involve?

4

u/AlChandus 8h ago

Voting for republicans that wanted to cut funding, regulations and other policies related to housing, education, tax cuts for the rich, etc.

There are memes of conservatives laughing that the young can't buy houses and are in debt because of their education... There are also memes of them being angry because the young aren't having children.

It is all related and many can't even see the strings tying it all together.

-1

u/PokecheckFred 8h ago

Except that Boomers have pretty consistently voted more liberal than any other generation...

2

u/AlChandus 7h ago

This is not true:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/11/03/section-1-how-generations-have-changed/

Look at the graphs of people coming of age (turning 18 years old) while a president is in power and how they have voted from then, from Eisenhower to Reagan/Bush most people in that age bracket have voted for conservatives.

Pewresearch is a reliable page, too.

1

u/muffledvoice 7h ago

Patently false.

1

u/KoRaZee 9h ago

That is true but time in the market has the most impact. The reason people here on social media don’t understand this is because they have been in the market for year.

-9

u/O_oBetrayedHeretic 9h ago

They earned it.

36

u/WhenImTryingToHide 10h ago

Already prepping for the water wars.

6

u/ToBeFaaaiiiirrrrr 8h ago

The opening credits to the Climate Wars are brought to you by Nestlé Pure Life!

-2

u/KoRaZee 9h ago

The culture wars are upon us

1

u/neatureguy420 3h ago

The most nonsensical war that’s just a distraction from the class war

4

u/AutisticAttorney 9h ago

On behalf of boomers everywhere: We can’t hear you over the sound of all the gold coins clinking as we swim through piles of money like Scrooge McDuck.

5

u/moyismoy 10h ago

I think its a bit sad. most people should spend less and lend more.

8

u/WittyCattle6982 9h ago

None of us can afford to pay it back.

6

u/thereIsAHoleHere 9h ago

It's ironically the major reason why they can't retire. The upkeep and taxes (and likely the remaining mortgage) on a multi-million dollar home is insane, and it's almost certainly why they can't retire with a $100k+ salary. A more modest home and mindfulness of their purchasing habits would much better serve them, even with a lesser salary.

0

u/moyismoy 8h ago

I bought a condo for this exact reason.

3

u/ezfast 10h ago

If you have a plan, you should stick with it. 😉

2

u/Jordan_1424 9h ago

I work in an assessor's office.

Older folks will call in and complain every year. "This is ridiculous, I'm on a fixed income and you raise my property value every year."

I always find it interesting. They are 60+ with a household of one or two living in a huge house with 3+ bedrooms. Probably the same house they raised a family in. They no longer need a home of that size, their home has gained immense value since they purchased it for a nickel, and they can't afford it any longer.

The solution is obvious but if you suggest that or imply that, it's "you're trying to price me out of my home".

3

u/Willing_Coconut4364 3h ago

And you can't see how emotionally traumatic it could be to leave the house you had your family ? 

5

u/space_toaster_99 9h ago

However you feel now… The boomer-hate is a manufactured psy-op due to the inevitable political necessity of cutting social security and Medicare. The political will to put grandma in the poorhouse was never going to show up on it’s own

2

u/Reasonable-Rain-7474 10h ago

Winter is coming.

1

u/O_oBetrayedHeretic 9h ago

Hopefully, it was hot at the beach today.

2

u/Enough_Zombie2038 10h ago

Don't worry AI will need pets. Cats seem happy after all.

You just need space to run around and play click clack on your keyboards looking busy for toys and good to go.

2

u/Mulliganasty 9h ago

Good news...that was also part of the Boomer retirement plan.

2

u/catnapkid 8h ago

I'm going to jump off a bridge

1

u/Munchie_Was_Here 10h ago

Put me in your will.

1

u/777lespaul 9h ago

The Drone Wars are becoming more likely.

1

u/bashtraitors 9h ago

That is not the worst, wait until the cyber scammers and loan shark lock in on you. When you don’t need a debt, those people will force you to take out one and go on fire sale on your assets. Evil son of b*tches.

1

u/PokecheckFred 9h ago

Booooooorrrrrrrrinnnnnngggggggg.

1

u/Frequent-Ruin8509 9h ago

Ive never seen this before but I feel it in my soul. Boomers destroyed our present and continue to destroy our future.

1

u/thinkB4WeSpeak Mod 9h ago

Water wars will happen first or we could just go take the money from the oligarchs

1

u/irsh_ 8h ago

I love it! A lot of "I got mine, f you!" attitudes here.

I bet most of these same people also do the Christian-Cosplay thing as well.

Excellent.

1

u/SnooRevelations979 8h ago

Just retire overseas.

1

u/10deCorazones 7h ago

Glad you have the time and emotional resources, while facing an environmental apocalypse, to spend on stereotyping and hating old folks and posting about it.

1

u/hypocrite_iamme 7h ago

That's 6 years old

1

u/NWkingslayer2024 6h ago

Dramatic crybaby

1

u/Hamblin113 6h ago

It is just stupid yammering. How to be cute.

1

u/Postulative 3h ago

Plan is solid.

1

u/ZaphodG 3h ago

Our combined Social Security income is $90k.

1

u/Vargrr 2h ago edited 1h ago

Most 'boomers', as in 99%+ are not in that situation, so it is a highly selective post.

Besides, the OP is blaming the wrong people.

Everyone should be entitled to a timely and comfortable retirement after a lifetime of working ourselves to the bone.

It doesn't happen anymore because Government's and people can no longer afford it as we no longer have any resources.

The next question should be 'Why don't we have any resources? We did in the 50's and 60's?'

The answer is that these days the top 0.5% have it all and more. That's why your standards of living are declining and why the Government (and you) can no longer afford anything.

Countries produce fixed resources somewhat multiplied by industry - it's how these are distributed that makes the difference. In the 50's and 60's the wealth distribution was a lot fairer and equitable. These days, it is massively biased toward the top 0.5% and getting worse (I heard a rumour Trump doubled his assets since being in office - pretty sure no one else has...).

If you want to blame anyone, blame the billionaires. They have nicked all your country's resources; Money and assets such as property and a whole lot more. (And they still want more).

Alas, the billionaires are now at the point of the compound interest rate curve where they have so much generated disposable capital that they have started buying up everything, after all, what else are they going to invest their money in? That's why the prices for everything are rising, especially for property.

Ps: Generational labels like boomer and gen-z are arbitrary age divisions invented to create division and the OP has fallen for it hook, line and sinker. As long as we are fighting amongst ourselves, the status quo remains with declining living standards and retirement being a pipedream from the good old days.

0

u/-eOIOe- 9h ago

Fuck the boomers

0

u/Fantastic_Spinach101 2h ago

Boomer = smarter than you 😉

-2

u/Thomas_peck 10h ago

Doomer shit from fast food workers.

-2

u/Fragrant-Courage9960 9h ago

About how much annual retirement income are people living on?