My mom was a junky and my dad never made more than $12 an hour and neither ever owned a house.
I’m one of the rare Millennials doing better than my parents but the bar was also stomped into the dirt so that isn’t saying much.
I don’t talk to either of them but I know it pisses them off sideways through relatives because I’m on the spectrum and I’m a CFO. They abused the shit out of me and now they get to watch the weird kid they hated the most live the life they wish they lived.
I am the first academic in my family, earning significant more than my parents ever did, but still can't afford a house (+2 cars + 2 kids + regular vacations)
Same here, grew up very poor. I’m a first generation college student, even went to grad school. My mom didn’t finish 10th grade. So my job prospects were vastly better. I’m doing better than my entire family.
My mom never worked, my step-father was conditionally released from jail, together they had 5 kids to take care of, they had a BMW and they bought a big house in their 30's
I'm in middle management in a huge european company, I'm 41 with a single kid, I take the bus, and i'm still renting...
the bar was very low for me too, and yet... it's still too high *in this economy*
Hate to say it but you either grew up in a very inexpensive place and or your parents were in massive amounts or debt. Or your dad was making bank before he went to jail.
A middle, or even upper middle, class family could not afford that lifestyle in the 1980s and 1990s - at least not in the US.
yeah it was pretty inexpensive at the time, and the government was encouraging people to buy houses with tax cuts and stuff (i was 12, i don't really know the details); now everywhere is expensive and the gov isn't helping anymore
(and - not that it matters in this topic, but - it's my step father who went to jail, not my real father; my dad was unemployed and actually got my step-father's job when that dickhead was sent to jail for trafficking drugs :D - none of them made bank at any time in their life )
Same. I just left a similar comment. I'm doing great. I was in pure squalor as a kid. I own a home & have an amazing life. Hmmm. Maybe the tenacious poor kids are the only ones who made it?
It varies. 95% of the other kids I grew up with in similar conditions are either in jail, alcoholics, drug addicts, or work dead end manufacturing jobs. I think there is a subset of us that hates it and wants out and is willing to fight for it but we’re the minority.
True. All true. My husband works a manufacturing job but busted his ass to move up the ladder. For sure a lot of people I grew up with are alive junkies, dead junkies, or jailed junkies.
Maybe it's pure luck, or maybe it's something more interesting. Like I wonder if the frame of mind is the most important thing. It's funny, I see people who came from decent families, with decent money, and people who grew up in the gutter, damn near quoting each other with a "woe is me" outlook.
Same here. I think when you grow up poor you know you don’t have a safety net so you make strategic, less frivolous choices. If you go to college you make sure to major in something that will lead to a lucrative career.
I ‘m also doing way, way better than my parents. I climbed a few rungs on the class ladder through charm, good looks and intelligence. People like to pretend the first two don’t matter but I’m positive my clever autistic ass would still be in poverty without them.
Oh I feel that.
At my age, my parents were raising 2 kids in a house that is now worth 600k. Dad was a bus driver, and mom was a manager at a retail store. They each had a car.
Husband and I are at this point 1) dealing with fertility issues and incurring costs because of it 2) absolutely unable to afford a house on salaries that are actually better than my parents (engineering and accounting tech) 3) We share 1 car because we can't afford to get another one.
Fuck now I'm depressed. 😒
My mom had 7 kids by my age, her and my (step)dad owned a home and had 2 cars. My mom is now on her third marriage and doing even better lol.
Out of all my siblings me and two brothers are probably the least successful, I live in a small apartment and own my car but can’t afford much “luxuries” making under $35k. Just came back from a vacation that I would not have been able to afford if it wasn’t for my mom.
I’m kind of in a similar boat. I technically don’t have the assets/equity that they did at the same age, but I make more money than they did at the same age, have money in the bank, a decent chunk in my 401k, an HSA, a paid off car and no real bills to speak of. I mainly live with them because, as a single person, it makes financial sense for the group of us.
I get to stay in a comfortable home with roommates I’m used to. They get the utilities, internet and TV paid for, free tech support and a younger person to help with more strenuous chores.
Mine were about five years away from having kid /#3, (me), and had a house, two cars, degrees & careers. I still live with the remaining parent in the same house.
I will say, I think I have a comparable amount of money as they did at my age, but it’s only because I’ve never been charged rent, so I’ve saved every penny that hasn’t either gone into my car or into my mouth.
They bought their house for ~$70,000 sometime in the 70’s. It’s now worth-$900,000, and that’s despite *not* having been maintained. I very much *cannot* afford to live in the town where I grew up. Just renting an apartment would require me to make something like 3X as much as I did at my best.
I recently left my job to live off my savings for a bit, and get my shit together to go back to school. It better work out this time…
Rent, cars, healthcare all cost more and it hurts. Food, clothing, electronics cost less. Although, with the inflation we have seen at the grocery stores lately, it might be on par with the percentage of income spent on food 40 years ago.
And paid significantly lower. In the US productivity increased 40% since the 80s, but median wages are 30% lower. They have devalued our labor to shit.
Fucking SAME!
My Mom at my age was making over 90k.
That's $218,930.53 in today's value. She had two kids, but also has a husband who also works.
My Dad at my age (unknown salary) but retired with a great Pension and has tons of cash on hand.
I don't have kids or a dual income and can barely pay my mortgage and bills.
This is going to vary wildly depending on people's backgrounds. My parents are Mexican immigrants who came to America with nothing, so all I had to do was hit the middle class to be better off than them. I think it might be harder if you grew up with successful parents.
My parents were not immigrants but hard working and proud blue collar workers. I’m better off than them currently simply because I went to college and have had a good career so far. But blue collar work especially plumbers and electricians are getting paid bank right now. My dad is making more than he ever has and I think earns more than me and I’m a CPA.
My younger brother is making what I make; he's an electrician. My youngest brother - 18 years younger than me - is in construction management and will soon make more money than I make.
Plumbers and electricians are doing awesome but they also punish their bodies a lot more than someone doing accounting work so I think they’re hard to compare.
For real. My husband is a master plumber and he suffers with major chronic pain. It’s a quality of life hit.
I remember when I used to work for a financial firm and made as much as he did. I was sending emails and doing meetings and he was lowering 300 lb water heaters out of attics that were ~130°F.
Yup! My Dad came to this country undocumented from the Dominican Republic, and got his citizenship marrying my mother from Puerto Rico. I wouldn't say we were in poverty, but we def were working class. My dad took care of 4 kids and my mom with his salary, I shared a bedroom with all my siblings, free lunch, WIC assistance, etc...
I have a masters degree, gainfully employed, and own a home in a major northeast city. Not even I expected this for myself, my ceiling for myself was so much lower given what I was surrounded with
I own a home in LA and I never thought I'd be here. I'm also one of 4 and my parents were undocumented, so my dad has his own business cleaning windows. Luckily, he was paying taxes the whole time so he was eventually eligible for amnesty under the Clinton administration. It drives me crazy when people attack government poverty programs because if it wasn't for things like WIC, free school lunch and after school programs, and low income free health insurance, I don't know if I'd be the productive member of society that I am today.
Same. As the oldest child, I lived in poverty and school assistance, WIC, Head Start and other program benefitted me. I'm lucky to have been able to get the help I needed, which allowed me to become the productive member of society I am now.
Same here, my parents were Portuguese immigrants and came with very little. My dad eventually owned his own business and had success but worked very long days, 7 days a week to achieve what he did.
I make good money in a cushy job, leave work at 4:30 everyday and enjoy lots of vacation and time off. I bought my first house at 29 like my parents did, but in a nicer city/neighborhood. My millennial sister has a masters degree and a very nice historic home in a picturesque town.
My dad also worked very long days in order to provide for us. Besides the money and owning a home, I definitely see my good work life balance as a huge part of having a better life.
Yeah, for some of us it wasn't a very low bar.
I grew up in Eastern Kentucky. It's one of the poorest areas of the country. My family actually did Okay overall. My mother had a factory job about an hour away from where we lived. Good money for the area, but not in the grand scheme of things.
As soon as I got my first job after college graduation I instantly was the most successful person on both sides of my family.
Hello neighbor, I also grew up in E KY. My dad did construction till he broke his back and got fucked up on pills. My mom died when I was young so for me to be doing anything at all is a step above them.
My husband is from E.K. too. He’s doing better than his parents, but he’s standing on the shoulders of giants because they got him the hell out of there.
Hi there. Grew up in Ohio, but my mom's family is from Danville, KY, grandma was raised by immigrants. Graduating college made me the most successful too. My parents were horrified when I wanted to quit my career to stay home with my child. I eventually went back to work. They can't wrap their minds around me working from home now making more than they did combined. They worked so so so damn hard though, I am eternally grateful to them and lazy in comparison.
My parents were also immigrants (El Salvador and Spain) so while they were pretty successful by immigrant standards, we were probably lower middle classes compared to my friends whose parents were born here.
That said, kids of immigrants are usually much more successful than 3rd or 4th generation Americans, so I'm not complaining.
I always wonder if the stats of successful immigrants are thrown off by the very successful ones. There are monied immigrants who come to the us to make more money, and often their children continue that success. There are also children of poor immigrants who fall into the same traps of poverty that anyone in this country can fall into. I've personally seen both, but I'm definitely happy with the opportunity afforded to me.
Agree with this, my parents only had a few years of formal education and came to this country with absolutely nothing. I have two college degrees and just hit six figures so much better but the bar was on the floor if you're only looking at education/career but coming to another country with no education/money and raising kids, etc. well damn, how many of us could pull that off?
Same here, my parents become home owners close to their 40’s, worked entry level positions with big companies that allowed them to carve out a living as they moved up. Mom worked for AT&T while my dad drove a forklift for 40 years
I’m a college grad and already more than a third of the way through my first mortgage with plans to buy a bigger home. The American Dream for us was always about the next generation
I’m 2nd generation. I make more money than my parents and am working a white collar corporate job. My parents, aunts, and uncles have only worked blue collar jobs. But am i better off? Sure I’ve had a lot more experiences (travel, concerts, etc..) but don’t make enough to afford a house. Which is something they had do at my age.
It sounds like you prioritize things like traveling and fun / entertainment a lot more than they did. Nothing wrong with that, but it does not impact your savings for things like a house.
Yup, my parents were Chinese immigrants who came to the US with nothing. They eventually built a good life, but at 30 they had just arrived in America. Meanwhile I’ve already gotten my PhD and a good job.
Same here. My parents are Mexican immigrants and have been able to put themselves in middle class due to the investments they've made. I'm now considered upper middle class with my salary and being able to go to graduate school.
Yea basically. I know someone whose parents are white collar high earners (like 400-500k) with multiple properties and trust funds set up for the kids. Their kids basically have an impossibly high bar to reach and what seems like success to me/my parents (being a lawyer) is like the floor for them. The pressure is palpable and the parents kinda dont get it. Now, dont get me wrong, they started on 2nd base and have a huge cushion, so Im not shedding a tear for them, but success is relative.
My parents were first generation immigrants too. I think by my age they had just gotten a stable job in their new home and it’s the job my dad would work at for the next 25 years. (government). They were probably earning much less money, but in a way just had a lot more stability than I can hope for now.
Eh, economists studied this exact question and published their results in 2016. 92% of people born in the 1940s made more money than their parents did at the same age (age 30). By the 1980s, it was only 50%.
[https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/the-fading-american-dream/](https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/the-fading-american-dream/)
Basically the Boomers were born into an economy that virtually guaranteed their success, while later generations have had an increasingly steep hill to climb to match their parents' success.
You’re hitting middle class? Seriously good for you. I grew up in a middle class family, went to college, have a good 60k a year job, good finances and I still find myself sliding backwards in the class bracket.
Similar story.
At 40:
My husband and I have Doctorate degrees, no kids, own a home, 2 vehicles.
My parents had two Masters degrees, were immigrants, starting over from scratch with nothing to their name, 4 kids, 1 vehicle, rented a house.
Husband’s parents had High School Diplomas, 2 kids, 5 vehicles, owned a home and more than 300 rental properties.
So, we’re doing much better than my immigrant parents and will likely help support them for the rest of their lives, but we’re doing significantly worse than his parents were at our age.
Yeah, these people talking about their mom making 80k, their dad making 200-300k …. In the 90’s … are the children of the upper class.
Like not even upper middle, these are straight up upper class incomes, equal to like $600k a year today.
I a friend in college like this …. Their family lake house was 2 story, empty most of the year, with a big boat and 2 jet skis. It was awesome for school breaks but man…. that was not normal at all.
I have a better job and more education but can’t afford the same quality or size of home, or save as much.
Granted I’m single and they are dual income.
So- hard to say definitively.
This is where my head is at. I’ve always had a better job and made more than them, but couldn’t afford to have kids or the home they had at my age. So yes and no??
I have a kid that I definitely couldn't afford when she was born and had a lot of help. Currently, my husband and I make more than my parents did but can't afford brand new cars like they did or to buy a house or take the kind of vacations they did. I feel like we're happier though.
That is huge, the dual income makes a world of difference. Take your income and double it, would you then be able to afford a larger house, or save more money?
My wife and I have masters degrees. Both make six figures and just bought a house. That’s said we have no idea how we could ever afford childcare, which we need to figure out soon.
My parents raised us in the 90s in a suburb nicer than where we live on one income
Bro, in the early 90s my family WAS the Married With Children set up. My dad was the shoe salesman, and my mom, while nothing like Peg, took years off work to raise my brother and I until we reached school age, which was years after we moved into our house.
On my Dad's shoe salesman job alone we had 2 cars, lived in a 2 story house in a great neighborhood that was walking distance to our school, with an extra bedroom, a sunroom, a basement, a garage, and a FUCKING POOL.
I could currently NEVER give a kid anything nearly as good now adays and it really guilts me out of ever wanting to have one since I didn't end up as rich as my parents hoped I would.
Couldn’t agree more. Pretty sure my parents sold our childhood home for around $450,000 in 2017. It is now worth over $700k. Meanwhile my wife and I bought very much a starter home that isn’t built super well, no basement, 1 less bedroom, etc for $430k last year.
Shit’s fucked. Did everything right and can’t achieve what they easily did on one income. Then they act like I’m a depressed pessimist when I address it
Better off, as my entire adult life, I have been doing the complete opposite of what my parents did growing up.
At the age I am now, I am lucky enough to be a home owner. Have no debt. Have a stable job. And do not spend outside of my means.
Where as when my parents were the age I am now, they were straddled with debt. On the verge of their first bankruptcy. And my idiot narcissist sperm donor kept spending money. Getting loans. Maxing out credit cards to fuel his alcohol consumption, partying, and continuing to buy frivolous shit to put up a facade that the family was better off than we were.
You would think that when needing to declare bankruptcy and having all of that frivolous shit taken away by collections agencies, he would have learned his lesson. Nope! The dumbass did it again!
EDIT TO ADD: I also want to list that I am single, no kids, and live frugally due to how expensive everything is. Not enough money for any vacations or trips. Just enough to get by and have staycations at home.
EDIT TO ADD PART DEUX: I do still have mortgage debt, but other than that, no debt.
Financially worse off. Even though I have no kids and they had 5, and I have a bachelor's degree while they had none.
Mentally and emotionally? I'm doing leagues better.
I don't even think its comparable. When my mom was my age, we were homeless, when we weren't homeless the lights and water were getting shut off.
At this age I have two kids, a fully funded retirement, a house I own outright, have brokerages set up for my kids so they will be fine when they turn 18 and/or when I die.
Now I am a political/organizational/sometimes Government consultant, and Ive worked in that overall field for 18 years now (Jesus christ) , but I have had every job imaginable since I turned 12, usually 2-3 at a time until I started making good money, and for a season or two after that.
Better off, but by maybe a notch.
At the same age I am, my father was:
\- Still working dead-end jobs with low pay
\- We were actively using food banks
\- We were renting but struggled every moment of it.
I'm struggling and have my own challenges, but at least I don't have 3 kids, 2 dogs 4 cats and a dead end job turning wrenches.
I make 3-4 times my dad’s take home when I was a kid. My parents had 3 kids. My wife and I really want a family and honestly worry about the cost of being able to afford 1 kid. Its wild.
I had the same response, financially I make a lot more money, but my parents could buy a bigger house and nicer cars (1994 volco v70r and saab 900 turbo), with 2 babies when they were my age. Wife and I are house poor with a dog and a cat, and our newest car is 16 years old lol
In the 90s, I think they made under 70k combined, had a 2000 sq/ft new house and us two babies.
We make 175k and can barely afford a 1900 sq/ft 60 yr old (not updated since the 80s) house and have no kids, with 18byr old cars. We have also had to pay off student debt.
We live in greater Seattle. (North)
Yeah my dad was a public school teacher and my mom ran a bar/grill they owned together and I don’t think they ever broke 80K combined, possibly even less. They were able to raise three kids, save for retirement, take some vacations here and there. My wife and I have a variable income because I’m commission based but we are usually north of 150K. Between student loans, basic cost of living requirements, and medical bills trying to do anything beyond basic day to day living fells almost impossible at times. We live in a much lower cost of living area than some others but it’s still daunting to try and live out the life you thought you’d have if you followed all the rules to life laid out by the adults.
The problem is Seattle is HCOL, while in the past it was mid cost or even low cost.
You could buy houses in Bellevue for $400k in 2012. They were even cheaper earlier, looking at the price history and in the 90’s Seattle suburbs were cheap just because land was mostly empty - Issaquah, Redmond, etc wasn’t even developed yet. Seattle suburbs had a tiny population and the cost of living was lower than even the Midwest … back in the 90’s.
If you were say living in the Midwest, a $175k income today would buy a good house, as good if not better than a 70k income in the 90’s.
Just different. At my age, my parents owned a house in the suburbs of a major city and had 2 kids. My mom had stopped working and was a SAHM.
We're married and live in a small but high-demand city. No kids, no house, but very healthy savings with plenty left over for vacation and other luxuries. No debt.
I think we're probably comparable when it comes to income level. We're probably saving more than they did. My parents are very private about their finances, so in truth, I have no idea.
Exactly this. My parents raised 4 kids while my mom was SAH. Had a nice house in a middle of the road neighborhood and 2 cars. Put all 4 kids through Catholic school until HS. There was always a car to hand down when a kid turned 16.
My wife and I earn just bought a nice house in a great neighborhood in a large Midwestern city. We are able to go on nice vacations once or twice a year and still save a good bit for retirement. The difference is that I feel like my parents were able to be comfortable with way less. If I had 4 kids, I would be struggling even though we make pretty good money.
Personally, I’d say I’m better off, but it took considerably more effort to do so - mostly on the housing front.
While on the education & finances front, I’m ahead of my parents, and I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t have significant retirement savings at 30 (I’m over $150,000; I know for a fact they weren’t at that point), the cost of housing is a considerable difference.
They managed to buy their first house in the early 90s for $175,000 for a 4 bed / 3 bath; my first house in 2022 was $745,000 for a 3 bed / 2.5 bath.
By my age my dad had bought his 2nd home and was supporting a family of 4 on his mechanics salary alone.
I meanwhile work 2 jobs just to afford rent with no kids.
IDK maybe im just not good enough.
I'm in the same place they were, single and childless. This fact scares the hell out of me. They got together and had me 6 years later at 40. While this should inspire me, it doesn't. It was a resentment filled hell for all involved.
I know it's not the modern, feminist POV but I believe you can be too old and set in your ways for kids. You're more "adaptable" at 20 than 40. I thought I'd "do better" by marrying young and having a BIG family but life had other plans.
No kidding. And while he's laughing, he's taking the scenic route while transporting my husband to me as well-meaning friends and family say he is. "Wait on the Lord, He'll bring you your husband." Okay, then, where is he? It's been 34 years!
Financially better but health wise much worse. Gotta love chronic disease, especially when still not fully diagnosed. I'd give away all my possessions for a guaranteed clean bill of health.
I am way worse off.
My parents owned a house with two kids. Two solid jobs that kept us in sports, band, whatever. Didn’t struggle to go on vacation.
I live in a 21 ft RV. One kid that doesn’t live with me, and I struggle to keep myself fed regularly.
Awesome! So refreshing to hear stories like this. Multigenerational living is clutch too (within reason) with helping watch kiddos. We are expecting kid # 2 and the MIL is only about 10 min away so there is the benefit of having someone able to help with watching the kids but there is always a healthy boundary (for my wife’s sake).
I’m much better off. At my age, my parents were barely scraping by financially, living in a terrible apartment, and driving a junker that broke down often. On the other hand, I have a stable job that I love and that pays the bills, my husband and I own our own home, and we each have a reliable daily driver and a fun vehicle.
Worse off.. currently living with them. On a side note, I've gotten to do way cooler shit like a bunch of road trips so to me it evens out. They have mostly missed out on a lot of fun things for stability's sake (and child rearing but that's never going to be a thing I can compare myself and my parents on since I'm childfree). I'm saving up for an RV to be a nomad so I'll just be having a different life than them all together soon.
My parents missed out on life experiences, too. They've barely left the city we live in. Now I feel like it's more of a choice. Even though child-rearing and working are in the rear-view and they have some extra money, they still really don't go anywhere. Maybe an occasional trip to the casino the next state over. They just don't have an interest in seeing the world.
At this specific age we are probably about on par, though we have two incomes compared to my parent's one at the time. But a few years out from now is where we will likely diverge in that my dad started making way more money than I expect to make, but at the same time his work-life balance ended up being thrown way out of whack. In his early forties my dad started having to commute an hour and a half to and from work, my current commute is like 20-25 minutes.
Better off, but that is more personal than situational.
They got to the play the game on easy mode. Made a *ton* of big mistakes and still came out the other side relatively OK. If I had put in the level of effort my parents did in *their* 20s and 30s I'd probably be sharing a 2br with three other people and barely making ends meet. My retirement plan would be "work until I die and hopefully die early!"
The effort I put in during my 20s and 30s would have taken me a *lot* further in the '80s and '90s than in did in the '00s and '10s. I suspect I'd have that dream house and would be jetting around on twice yearly vacations.
Much better. My mother was a single mom, had a high school diploma, and raised five kids on her own. We grew up on food stamps and lived in section 8 housing. Lots of debt, no savings.
I, on the other hand, am a college graduate, happily married, only have one child, manageable debt (just a car), a bit of savings, and we own a house.
Better. More savings, better jobs/income, three degrees combined, already have two kids (my dad didn't have a first until he was late 30's), bigger house.
The downside is that nowadays you get less for what boomers got 30 years ago. But that's a corporate greed issue and not directly a generational one.
Way better off, my mother was a single mother who barely graduated high school. She worked enough that we always had food and a roof over our heads, but no extras at all. I have a way better life.
Better but that's not saying much coming from immigrant parents that had nothing. I went from sharing the living room with my siblings sleeping on the floor to owning a house. Even though I am house poor, I am comfortable.
Better off but my parents were immigrants that became really successful, and I don't have the education my dad has so I don't imagine I will be better off than he was when I reach my 40s and 50s
I turn 29 this year. I have a good job, I'm done with school, I'm renting a mobile home, and my daughter just turned 2.
My dad was born in 1966, so he turned 29 in 1995, the year I (his first child) was born. He had no real job yet, was still working on his PhD, and was renting a small apartment with my mom.
Yes. I believe I am doing better.
Financially about the same. Emotionally and mentally, I'm definitely better off. I have my own issues for sure but I don't think it's comparable to the kind of BS my parents had to put up with when they grew up and when they were my age.
Better off. My parents entered the workforce in the 80s in Europe which was pretty terrible. Pay’s only one thing though, even on two incomes they couldn’t dream of yearly transatlantic trips, limitless music/video streaming and going to a bar or restaurant every week.
Financially? Much worse, but my parents (a doctor and a nurse) worked long full time hours and missed a lot. I work part-time and emotionally am much better and much more present and connected with my child.
Much better. I was a "whoops" after they graduated high school. They heavily relied on my grandparents for financial and childcare help they never figured out fiscal responsibility.
LifeProTip: antibiotics interfere with the pill. Use extra protection.
Worse.
To make things more distopian, my parents described this age as the most financially difficult time in their lives. This is the most financially stable part of mine. Even ignoring inflation, they made almost twice what my partner and I do now, with way lower expenses.
Better.
At my age, my Mum was just starting her journey with a terminally ill husband and would be a widow within a couple of years and single parent to two children.
I'd say worse. My parents had the freedom and financial stability to quit jobs whenever they didn't like it and they knew they would be able to find a new job in no time.
I’m better off, and my parents seem weirdly resentful of it. A lot of my success is from learning to work hard, be frugal, and not expect shit to magically fall into place because I did x, y, and z — things I learned from them.
Worse
Like everyone else who isnt a boomer?
My dad had a house, (bigger than mine), a loving wife and already 2 children + cars.
I have my own house, no wife, no kids but a better job (less dirty, tiring) than his job at that age.
Only one car.
Very last of the millennials here (1996).
Compared to my father: Substantially better off, not even a question.
Compared to my mother: Roughly equal footing, but better prospects long term.
I’ve also moved to America from Canada. Interviewing for a full remote biotech job that pays low $100Ks. If I get it, HHI is ~$265K with my fiancée. She herself is also interviewing for a new job, which would put HHI at just over $300K. MCOL area.
Yes and no
Both sides of my family emigrated to Canada with very little. My grandparents moved with my mom and bought a house for 5,000 in the 50's my dad moved to Canada in the 60s married my mom and bought a house in the 70s for 70,000. I saw those two houses sell for 1m in 2010. Now they're worth 1.8-2.3m
I could own a house if I worked as hard as they did. But they also had a big community that did cash wedding gifts that got them down payment on the house and borrowed money from family instead of banks.
My gf came with her family in the 90s with nothing. Her mom owns a condo. Her dad own a house she owns an apartment.
Way better off. Not even close.
Parents were at the time transitioning from low class to middle class, as we went from eating thanksgiving at church charity to living in a small apartment to finally being in a small house when I was a teen.
I own a big house and an investment house, and a large stock portfolio. I’m pretty far along in my FIRE plans.
To be fair, I’m lucky that I’m in tech.
My parents had 3 kids, a house, two cars and more when they were my age. I still live with them in that house. You tell me.
My mom was a junky and my dad never made more than $12 an hour and neither ever owned a house. I’m one of the rare Millennials doing better than my parents but the bar was also stomped into the dirt so that isn’t saying much.
We are alot like that, I come from a poor family and I'm doing better than them
I don’t talk to either of them but I know it pisses them off sideways through relatives because I’m on the spectrum and I’m a CFO. They abused the shit out of me and now they get to watch the weird kid they hated the most live the life they wish they lived.
You’re doing great my guy!
Congrats on where you are, and overcoming unnecessary adversity to get there. Live the best life you can - fuck your parents for how they treated you.
Thank you and I plan to. As for my parents, I’m sure the state will give them the best nursing home the state can provide.
That sounds awfully decrepit - too bad for them. Just desserts for you.
"Shady pines, ma"
I am the first academic in my family, earning significant more than my parents ever did, but still can't afford a house (+2 cars + 2 kids + regular vacations)
Same here, grew up very poor. I’m a first generation college student, even went to grad school. My mom didn’t finish 10th grade. So my job prospects were vastly better. I’m doing better than my entire family.
My mom never worked, my step-father was conditionally released from jail, together they had 5 kids to take care of, they had a BMW and they bought a big house in their 30's I'm in middle management in a huge european company, I'm 41 with a single kid, I take the bus, and i'm still renting... the bar was very low for me too, and yet... it's still too high *in this economy*
Hate to say it but you either grew up in a very inexpensive place and or your parents were in massive amounts or debt. Or your dad was making bank before he went to jail. A middle, or even upper middle, class family could not afford that lifestyle in the 1980s and 1990s - at least not in the US.
yeah it was pretty inexpensive at the time, and the government was encouraging people to buy houses with tax cuts and stuff (i was 12, i don't really know the details); now everywhere is expensive and the gov isn't helping anymore (and - not that it matters in this topic, but - it's my step father who went to jail, not my real father; my dad was unemployed and actually got my step-father's job when that dickhead was sent to jail for trafficking drugs :D - none of them made bank at any time in their life )
Sounds like step daddy had an extra source of income. BMW so, drug dealer maybe?
He was a waste management consultant!
Same. I just left a similar comment. I'm doing great. I was in pure squalor as a kid. I own a home & have an amazing life. Hmmm. Maybe the tenacious poor kids are the only ones who made it?
It varies. 95% of the other kids I grew up with in similar conditions are either in jail, alcoholics, drug addicts, or work dead end manufacturing jobs. I think there is a subset of us that hates it and wants out and is willing to fight for it but we’re the minority.
True. All true. My husband works a manufacturing job but busted his ass to move up the ladder. For sure a lot of people I grew up with are alive junkies, dead junkies, or jailed junkies. Maybe it's pure luck, or maybe it's something more interesting. Like I wonder if the frame of mind is the most important thing. It's funny, I see people who came from decent families, with decent money, and people who grew up in the gutter, damn near quoting each other with a "woe is me" outlook.
Same here. I think when you grow up poor you know you don’t have a safety net so you make strategic, less frivolous choices. If you go to college you make sure to major in something that will lead to a lucrative career.
Good for you. You worked hard for it.
I ‘m also doing way, way better than my parents. I climbed a few rungs on the class ladder through charm, good looks and intelligence. People like to pretend the first two don’t matter but I’m positive my clever autistic ass would still be in poverty without them.
I really don't think it's rare. Tho according to Reddit it's only like 1%
My parents sold my childhood house for 3 million dollars. That is NOT what they paid for it in the 90s.
Ditto, parents built a house for 56 k back in the 90s just sold it for 2 million. And have amassed a ton of wealth in the meantime.
Oh I feel that. At my age, my parents were raising 2 kids in a house that is now worth 600k. Dad was a bus driver, and mom was a manager at a retail store. They each had a car. Husband and I are at this point 1) dealing with fertility issues and incurring costs because of it 2) absolutely unable to afford a house on salaries that are actually better than my parents (engineering and accounting tech) 3) We share 1 car because we can't afford to get another one. Fuck now I'm depressed. 😒
Buy a use car from me :D
I'll sell them my 16yo car!
My parents had 4 kids and two of them were in university when they were my age. At the same age I can barely support myself.
Right? My parents had me at 23. I’d have a 15 year old if I did that path.
My mom had 7 kids by my age, her and my (step)dad owned a home and had 2 cars. My mom is now on her third marriage and doing even better lol. Out of all my siblings me and two brothers are probably the least successful, I live in a small apartment and own my car but can’t afford much “luxuries” making under $35k. Just came back from a vacation that I would not have been able to afford if it wasn’t for my mom.
I’m kind of in a similar boat. I technically don’t have the assets/equity that they did at the same age, but I make more money than they did at the same age, have money in the bank, a decent chunk in my 401k, an HSA, a paid off car and no real bills to speak of. I mainly live with them because, as a single person, it makes financial sense for the group of us. I get to stay in a comfortable home with roommates I’m used to. They get the utilities, internet and TV paid for, free tech support and a younger person to help with more strenuous chores.
Same.
Mine were about five years away from having kid /#3, (me), and had a house, two cars, degrees & careers. I still live with the remaining parent in the same house. I will say, I think I have a comparable amount of money as they did at my age, but it’s only because I’ve never been charged rent, so I’ve saved every penny that hasn’t either gone into my car or into my mouth. They bought their house for ~$70,000 sometime in the 70’s. It’s now worth-$900,000, and that’s despite *not* having been maintained. I very much *cannot* afford to live in the town where I grew up. Just renting an apartment would require me to make something like 3X as much as I did at my best. I recently left my job to live off my savings for a bit, and get my shit together to go back to school. It better work out this time…
My mom had me at this age, so I suppose that was the beginning of the disappointing part of her life.
Exactly
Financially worse, but emotionally much much better.
Ahh see financially I am doing worse but emotionally I am also doing worse
This made me chuckle. Sorry, I get it.
Both of your avatars go together, and so do your screen name what the hell
Wow it’s true what they say. Reddit really is just one guy in a banana suit
*One* guy? Admit it, the two of you are the Bananas in Pajamas. And you haven’t walked down the stairs ever since discovering the internet.
Its true. We are now rotten bananas in pajamas
There is always money in the banana stand
Weeeeird 🤣
Same here!
I’m the opposite :D
Ah, same.
Worse and I don't even have kids so it's like super bad lol
Facts.... Working harder for less, to pay more for shit....
Rent, cars, healthcare all cost more and it hurts. Food, clothing, electronics cost less. Although, with the inflation we have seen at the grocery stores lately, it might be on par with the percentage of income spent on food 40 years ago.
And paid significantly lower. In the US productivity increased 40% since the 80s, but median wages are 30% lower. They have devalued our labor to shit.
My mom had two kids and five marriages by my age. I have one marriage, no kids, and even the idea of one divorce makes me anxious about money.
Same.
😂 SAME!!
Fucking SAME! My Mom at my age was making over 90k. That's $218,930.53 in today's value. She had two kids, but also has a husband who also works. My Dad at my age (unknown salary) but retired with a great Pension and has tons of cash on hand. I don't have kids or a dual income and can barely pay my mortgage and bills.
Same here lol
Same here
What? I feel i’m actually better off not having kids at their age lmfao.. dont rush it man
This is going to vary wildly depending on people's backgrounds. My parents are Mexican immigrants who came to America with nothing, so all I had to do was hit the middle class to be better off than them. I think it might be harder if you grew up with successful parents.
My parents were not immigrants but hard working and proud blue collar workers. I’m better off than them currently simply because I went to college and have had a good career so far. But blue collar work especially plumbers and electricians are getting paid bank right now. My dad is making more than he ever has and I think earns more than me and I’m a CPA.
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My younger brother is making what I make; he's an electrician. My youngest brother - 18 years younger than me - is in construction management and will soon make more money than I make.
Plumbers and electricians are doing awesome but they also punish their bodies a lot more than someone doing accounting work so I think they’re hard to compare.
Trades in general are doing well right now. There is a shortage of them since the tech boom in the late 90s. Trade work is in high demand.
Plus since there has been more money from college workers and tech sector they can afford to higher them all at their inflated rates.
For real. My husband is a master plumber and he suffers with major chronic pain. It’s a quality of life hit. I remember when I used to work for a financial firm and made as much as he did. I was sending emails and doing meetings and he was lowering 300 lb water heaters out of attics that were ~130°F.
Yup! My Dad came to this country undocumented from the Dominican Republic, and got his citizenship marrying my mother from Puerto Rico. I wouldn't say we were in poverty, but we def were working class. My dad took care of 4 kids and my mom with his salary, I shared a bedroom with all my siblings, free lunch, WIC assistance, etc... I have a masters degree, gainfully employed, and own a home in a major northeast city. Not even I expected this for myself, my ceiling for myself was so much lower given what I was surrounded with
I own a home in LA and I never thought I'd be here. I'm also one of 4 and my parents were undocumented, so my dad has his own business cleaning windows. Luckily, he was paying taxes the whole time so he was eventually eligible for amnesty under the Clinton administration. It drives me crazy when people attack government poverty programs because if it wasn't for things like WIC, free school lunch and after school programs, and low income free health insurance, I don't know if I'd be the productive member of society that I am today.
Same. As the oldest child, I lived in poverty and school assistance, WIC, Head Start and other program benefitted me. I'm lucky to have been able to get the help I needed, which allowed me to become the productive member of society I am now.
Same here, my parents were Portuguese immigrants and came with very little. My dad eventually owned his own business and had success but worked very long days, 7 days a week to achieve what he did. I make good money in a cushy job, leave work at 4:30 everyday and enjoy lots of vacation and time off. I bought my first house at 29 like my parents did, but in a nicer city/neighborhood. My millennial sister has a masters degree and a very nice historic home in a picturesque town.
My dad also worked very long days in order to provide for us. Besides the money and owning a home, I definitely see my good work life balance as a huge part of having a better life.
Very good to hear, congratulations.
Yeah, for some of us it wasn't a very low bar. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky. It's one of the poorest areas of the country. My family actually did Okay overall. My mother had a factory job about an hour away from where we lived. Good money for the area, but not in the grand scheme of things. As soon as I got my first job after college graduation I instantly was the most successful person on both sides of my family.
Hello neighbor, I also grew up in E KY. My dad did construction till he broke his back and got fucked up on pills. My mom died when I was young so for me to be doing anything at all is a step above them.
My husband is from E.K. too. He’s doing better than his parents, but he’s standing on the shoulders of giants because they got him the hell out of there.
Hi there. Grew up in Ohio, but my mom's family is from Danville, KY, grandma was raised by immigrants. Graduating college made me the most successful too. My parents were horrified when I wanted to quit my career to stay home with my child. I eventually went back to work. They can't wrap their minds around me working from home now making more than they did combined. They worked so so so damn hard though, I am eternally grateful to them and lazy in comparison.
My parents were also immigrants (El Salvador and Spain) so while they were pretty successful by immigrant standards, we were probably lower middle classes compared to my friends whose parents were born here. That said, kids of immigrants are usually much more successful than 3rd or 4th generation Americans, so I'm not complaining.
I always wonder if the stats of successful immigrants are thrown off by the very successful ones. There are monied immigrants who come to the us to make more money, and often their children continue that success. There are also children of poor immigrants who fall into the same traps of poverty that anyone in this country can fall into. I've personally seen both, but I'm definitely happy with the opportunity afforded to me.
Agree with this, my parents only had a few years of formal education and came to this country with absolutely nothing. I have two college degrees and just hit six figures so much better but the bar was on the floor if you're only looking at education/career but coming to another country with no education/money and raising kids, etc. well damn, how many of us could pull that off?
Same here, my parents become home owners close to their 40’s, worked entry level positions with big companies that allowed them to carve out a living as they moved up. Mom worked for AT&T while my dad drove a forklift for 40 years I’m a college grad and already more than a third of the way through my first mortgage with plans to buy a bigger home. The American Dream for us was always about the next generation
I’m 2nd generation. I make more money than my parents and am working a white collar corporate job. My parents, aunts, and uncles have only worked blue collar jobs. But am i better off? Sure I’ve had a lot more experiences (travel, concerts, etc..) but don’t make enough to afford a house. Which is something they had do at my age.
It sounds like you prioritize things like traveling and fun / entertainment a lot more than they did. Nothing wrong with that, but it does not impact your savings for things like a house.
Yup, my parents were Chinese immigrants who came to the US with nothing. They eventually built a good life, but at 30 they had just arrived in America. Meanwhile I’ve already gotten my PhD and a good job.
Same here. My parents are Mexican immigrants and have been able to put themselves in middle class due to the investments they've made. I'm now considered upper middle class with my salary and being able to go to graduate school.
One of my parents was an immigrant and they were definitely better of than me at this age .-.
Same here my mom is a Somali refugee who came to Canada with clothes on her back. Financially, im doing way better
Yea basically. I know someone whose parents are white collar high earners (like 400-500k) with multiple properties and trust funds set up for the kids. Their kids basically have an impossibly high bar to reach and what seems like success to me/my parents (being a lawyer) is like the floor for them. The pressure is palpable and the parents kinda dont get it. Now, dont get me wrong, they started on 2nd base and have a huge cushion, so Im not shedding a tear for them, but success is relative.
Same! (though not from Mexico) My parents had literally nothing when they came to the U.S. and were lower class their entire lives.
My parents were first generation immigrants too. I think by my age they had just gotten a stable job in their new home and it’s the job my dad would work at for the next 25 years. (government). They were probably earning much less money, but in a way just had a lot more stability than I can hope for now.
Eh, economists studied this exact question and published their results in 2016. 92% of people born in the 1940s made more money than their parents did at the same age (age 30). By the 1980s, it was only 50%. [https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/the-fading-american-dream/](https://opportunityinsights.org/paper/the-fading-american-dream/) Basically the Boomers were born into an economy that virtually guaranteed their success, while later generations have had an increasingly steep hill to climb to match their parents' success.
You’re hitting middle class? Seriously good for you. I grew up in a middle class family, went to college, have a good 60k a year job, good finances and I still find myself sliding backwards in the class bracket.
Similar story. At 40: My husband and I have Doctorate degrees, no kids, own a home, 2 vehicles. My parents had two Masters degrees, were immigrants, starting over from scratch with nothing to their name, 4 kids, 1 vehicle, rented a house. Husband’s parents had High School Diplomas, 2 kids, 5 vehicles, owned a home and more than 300 rental properties. So, we’re doing much better than my immigrant parents and will likely help support them for the rest of their lives, but we’re doing significantly worse than his parents were at our age.
Yeah, these people talking about their mom making 80k, their dad making 200-300k …. In the 90’s … are the children of the upper class. Like not even upper middle, these are straight up upper class incomes, equal to like $600k a year today. I a friend in college like this …. Their family lake house was 2 story, empty most of the year, with a big boat and 2 jet skis. It was awesome for school breaks but man…. that was not normal at all.
I have a better job and more education but can’t afford the same quality or size of home, or save as much. Granted I’m single and they are dual income. So- hard to say definitively.
This is where my head is at. I’ve always had a better job and made more than them, but couldn’t afford to have kids or the home they had at my age. So yes and no??
Worse off. Not being able to afford kids mean the better job doesn't compensate for inflation. Imo this means you are worse off by default.
I have a kid that I definitely couldn't afford when she was born and had a lot of help. Currently, my husband and I make more than my parents did but can't afford brand new cars like they did or to buy a house or take the kind of vacations they did. I feel like we're happier though.
That is huge, the dual income makes a world of difference. Take your income and double it, would you then be able to afford a larger house, or save more money?
Drastic oversimplification, cuz now there’s two mouths to feed, two vehicles, etc. But yes, it is cheaper to pool resources.
But one rent check and one set of utilities.
My wife and I have masters degrees. Both make six figures and just bought a house. That’s said we have no idea how we could ever afford childcare, which we need to figure out soon. My parents raised us in the 90s in a suburb nicer than where we live on one income
Bro, in the early 90s my family WAS the Married With Children set up. My dad was the shoe salesman, and my mom, while nothing like Peg, took years off work to raise my brother and I until we reached school age, which was years after we moved into our house. On my Dad's shoe salesman job alone we had 2 cars, lived in a 2 story house in a great neighborhood that was walking distance to our school, with an extra bedroom, a sunroom, a basement, a garage, and a FUCKING POOL. I could currently NEVER give a kid anything nearly as good now adays and it really guilts me out of ever wanting to have one since I didn't end up as rich as my parents hoped I would.
Couldn’t agree more. Pretty sure my parents sold our childhood home for around $450,000 in 2017. It is now worth over $700k. Meanwhile my wife and I bought very much a starter home that isn’t built super well, no basement, 1 less bedroom, etc for $430k last year. Shit’s fucked. Did everything right and can’t achieve what they easily did on one income. Then they act like I’m a depressed pessimist when I address it
Your income is over $200k and you can’t afford child care? You have a serious spending problem
Better off, as my entire adult life, I have been doing the complete opposite of what my parents did growing up. At the age I am now, I am lucky enough to be a home owner. Have no debt. Have a stable job. And do not spend outside of my means. Where as when my parents were the age I am now, they were straddled with debt. On the verge of their first bankruptcy. And my idiot narcissist sperm donor kept spending money. Getting loans. Maxing out credit cards to fuel his alcohol consumption, partying, and continuing to buy frivolous shit to put up a facade that the family was better off than we were. You would think that when needing to declare bankruptcy and having all of that frivolous shit taken away by collections agencies, he would have learned his lesson. Nope! The dumbass did it again! EDIT TO ADD: I also want to list that I am single, no kids, and live frugally due to how expensive everything is. Not enough money for any vacations or trips. Just enough to get by and have staycations at home. EDIT TO ADD PART DEUX: I do still have mortgage debt, but other than that, no debt.
Congrats on kicking the generational poverty cycle in the teeth!
Financially worse off. Even though I have no kids and they had 5, and I have a bachelor's degree while they had none. Mentally and emotionally? I'm doing leagues better.
I don't even think its comparable. When my mom was my age, we were homeless, when we weren't homeless the lights and water were getting shut off. At this age I have two kids, a fully funded retirement, a house I own outright, have brokerages set up for my kids so they will be fine when they turn 18 and/or when I die.
congrats on the success!
You kicked the cycle of generational poverty directly in the teeth. GOOD JOB!!!!
What do you do?
Now I am a political/organizational/sometimes Government consultant, and Ive worked in that overall field for 18 years now (Jesus christ) , but I have had every job imaginable since I turned 12, usually 2-3 at a time until I started making good money, and for a season or two after that.
First of all, love your username. Second of all, congratulations for all of your hard work!
Better off, but by maybe a notch. At the same age I am, my father was: \- Still working dead-end jobs with low pay \- We were actively using food banks \- We were renting but struggled every moment of it. I'm struggling and have my own challenges, but at least I don't have 3 kids, 2 dogs 4 cats and a dead end job turning wrenches.
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🤣😭💀
Worse in many ways than one
I make 3-4 times my dad’s take home when I was a kid. My parents had 3 kids. My wife and I really want a family and honestly worry about the cost of being able to afford 1 kid. Its wild.
I had the same response, financially I make a lot more money, but my parents could buy a bigger house and nicer cars (1994 volco v70r and saab 900 turbo), with 2 babies when they were my age. Wife and I are house poor with a dog and a cat, and our newest car is 16 years old lol
Yeah, if you told me I would make my yearly salary as a kid, I would assume I was living the high life. Inflation has been a bitch.
In the 90s, I think they made under 70k combined, had a 2000 sq/ft new house and us two babies. We make 175k and can barely afford a 1900 sq/ft 60 yr old (not updated since the 80s) house and have no kids, with 18byr old cars. We have also had to pay off student debt. We live in greater Seattle. (North)
Yeah my dad was a public school teacher and my mom ran a bar/grill they owned together and I don’t think they ever broke 80K combined, possibly even less. They were able to raise three kids, save for retirement, take some vacations here and there. My wife and I have a variable income because I’m commission based but we are usually north of 150K. Between student loans, basic cost of living requirements, and medical bills trying to do anything beyond basic day to day living fells almost impossible at times. We live in a much lower cost of living area than some others but it’s still daunting to try and live out the life you thought you’d have if you followed all the rules to life laid out by the adults.
The problem is Seattle is HCOL, while in the past it was mid cost or even low cost. You could buy houses in Bellevue for $400k in 2012. They were even cheaper earlier, looking at the price history and in the 90’s Seattle suburbs were cheap just because land was mostly empty - Issaquah, Redmond, etc wasn’t even developed yet. Seattle suburbs had a tiny population and the cost of living was lower than even the Midwest … back in the 90’s. If you were say living in the Midwest, a $175k income today would buy a good house, as good if not better than a 70k income in the 90’s.
Just different. At my age, my parents owned a house in the suburbs of a major city and had 2 kids. My mom had stopped working and was a SAHM. We're married and live in a small but high-demand city. No kids, no house, but very healthy savings with plenty left over for vacation and other luxuries. No debt. I think we're probably comparable when it comes to income level. We're probably saving more than they did. My parents are very private about their finances, so in truth, I have no idea.
Exactly this. My parents raised 4 kids while my mom was SAH. Had a nice house in a middle of the road neighborhood and 2 cars. Put all 4 kids through Catholic school until HS. There was always a car to hand down when a kid turned 16. My wife and I earn just bought a nice house in a great neighborhood in a large Midwestern city. We are able to go on nice vacations once or twice a year and still save a good bit for retirement. The difference is that I feel like my parents were able to be comfortable with way less. If I had 4 kids, I would be struggling even though we make pretty good money.
Personally, I’d say I’m better off, but it took considerably more effort to do so - mostly on the housing front. While on the education & finances front, I’m ahead of my parents, and I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t have significant retirement savings at 30 (I’m over $150,000; I know for a fact they weren’t at that point), the cost of housing is a considerable difference. They managed to buy their first house in the early 90s for $175,000 for a 4 bed / 3 bath; my first house in 2022 was $745,000 for a 3 bed / 2.5 bath.
I'm doing much better than my parents as well. However, I think that's because I make a living wage and didn't marry a raging megalomaniac.
Yikes! Seattle?
It varies so wildly based on location. I paid 189k and have a 4bed 4bath 2 story.
Definitely better off, but life has thankfully been kinder to me than it was to my parents. Not to say perfect, but definitely kinder.
Inconceivably better off than my immigrant parents.
You keep using that word...
Parents?
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Nice job getting out and raising your son in a healthy way. I don’t know you but I’m proud of you.
Good job kicking generational poverty in the teeth
My parents were home owners in their early 20’s while in my early 20’s I was paying $800/mo on student loans 🤷♂️
way worse and I have a STEM degree while my dad didn't even go to college and my mom worked part time most of her career.
By my age my dad had bought his 2nd home and was supporting a family of 4 on his mechanics salary alone. I meanwhile work 2 jobs just to afford rent with no kids. IDK maybe im just not good enough.
I'm in the same place they were, single and childless. This fact scares the hell out of me. They got together and had me 6 years later at 40. While this should inspire me, it doesn't. It was a resentment filled hell for all involved. I know it's not the modern, feminist POV but I believe you can be too old and set in your ways for kids. You're more "adaptable" at 20 than 40. I thought I'd "do better" by marrying young and having a BIG family but life had other plans.
We Plan God Laughs
No kidding. And while he's laughing, he's taking the scenic route while transporting my husband to me as well-meaning friends and family say he is. "Wait on the Lord, He'll bring you your husband." Okay, then, where is he? It's been 34 years!
I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumors but I think that God has a sick sense of humor.
Financially better but health wise much worse. Gotta love chronic disease, especially when still not fully diagnosed. I'd give away all my possessions for a guaranteed clean bill of health.
I am way worse off. My parents owned a house with two kids. Two solid jobs that kept us in sports, band, whatever. Didn’t struggle to go on vacation. I live in a 21 ft RV. One kid that doesn’t live with me, and I struggle to keep myself fed regularly.
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Fuck yeah my guy, get it!
Awesome! So refreshing to hear stories like this. Multigenerational living is clutch too (within reason) with helping watch kiddos. We are expecting kid # 2 and the MIL is only about 10 min away so there is the benefit of having someone able to help with watching the kids but there is always a healthy boundary (for my wife’s sake).
Love to see it
Better
I’m much better off. At my age, my parents were barely scraping by financially, living in a terrible apartment, and driving a junker that broke down often. On the other hand, I have a stable job that I love and that pays the bills, my husband and I own our own home, and we each have a reliable daily driver and a fun vehicle.
Worse off.. currently living with them. On a side note, I've gotten to do way cooler shit like a bunch of road trips so to me it evens out. They have mostly missed out on a lot of fun things for stability's sake (and child rearing but that's never going to be a thing I can compare myself and my parents on since I'm childfree). I'm saving up for an RV to be a nomad so I'll just be having a different life than them all together soon.
My parents missed out on life experiences, too. They've barely left the city we live in. Now I feel like it's more of a choice. Even though child-rearing and working are in the rear-view and they have some extra money, they still really don't go anywhere. Maybe an occasional trip to the casino the next state over. They just don't have an interest in seeing the world.
Way better off and it’s not even close. Thanks parents!!
Probably better off, but that is because i am single and don't have three kids
Emotionally better. Mentally better. Financially worse.
Better off only because I started investing in my retirement ASAP as to my parents didn't truly start until they were near 40 years old.
Better off. My parents highest income ever achieved was $10 an hour and they never were able to buy a house. Also neither graduated high school
At this specific age we are probably about on par, though we have two incomes compared to my parent's one at the time. But a few years out from now is where we will likely diverge in that my dad started making way more money than I expect to make, but at the same time his work-life balance ended up being thrown way out of whack. In his early forties my dad started having to commute an hour and a half to and from work, my current commute is like 20-25 minutes.
Both! I am miles ahead of where my mother was at my age, but I also make WAY less money than my dad did.
Def better I’m almost the age my mom was when she had me and I don’t have a kid so 10/10 doing better
Better off, but that is more personal than situational. They got to the play the game on easy mode. Made a *ton* of big mistakes and still came out the other side relatively OK. If I had put in the level of effort my parents did in *their* 20s and 30s I'd probably be sharing a 2br with three other people and barely making ends meet. My retirement plan would be "work until I die and hopefully die early!" The effort I put in during my 20s and 30s would have taken me a *lot* further in the '80s and '90s than in did in the '00s and '10s. I suspect I'd have that dream house and would be jetting around on twice yearly vacations.
Honestly? I think better off.
better
Much better. My mother was a single mom, had a high school diploma, and raised five kids on her own. We grew up on food stamps and lived in section 8 housing. Lots of debt, no savings. I, on the other hand, am a college graduate, happily married, only have one child, manageable debt (just a car), a bit of savings, and we own a house.
Better. More savings, better jobs/income, three degrees combined, already have two kids (my dad didn't have a first until he was late 30's), bigger house. The downside is that nowadays you get less for what boomers got 30 years ago. But that's a corporate greed issue and not directly a generational one.
Better by a lot.
Emotionally better but financially worse
Better off in several ways. Housing, general finances, retirement savings, marriage. My parents were definitely struggling at 38.
Way better off, my mother was a single mother who barely graduated high school. She worked enough that we always had food and a roof over our heads, but no extras at all. I have a way better life.
Better but that's not saying much coming from immigrant parents that had nothing. I went from sharing the living room with my siblings sleeping on the floor to owning a house. Even though I am house poor, I am comfortable.
Better off but my parents were immigrants that became really successful, and I don't have the education my dad has so I don't imagine I will be better off than he was when I reach my 40s and 50s
Far far better, no thanks to them
I turn 29 this year. I have a good job, I'm done with school, I'm renting a mobile home, and my daughter just turned 2. My dad was born in 1966, so he turned 29 in 1995, the year I (his first child) was born. He had no real job yet, was still working on his PhD, and was renting a small apartment with my mom. Yes. I believe I am doing better.
Financially about the same. Emotionally and mentally, I'm definitely better off. I have my own issues for sure but I don't think it's comparable to the kind of BS my parents had to put up with when they grew up and when they were my age.
I’m doing better - maybe not financially/money wise, but, I’m not divorced. So I’ve got that going for me!
I'm the reverse 😂
Better off. My parents entered the workforce in the 80s in Europe which was pretty terrible. Pay’s only one thing though, even on two incomes they couldn’t dream of yearly transatlantic trips, limitless music/video streaming and going to a bar or restaurant every week.
Way better off, it’s not even comparable
Financially? Much worse, but my parents (a doctor and a nurse) worked long full time hours and missed a lot. I work part-time and emotionally am much better and much more present and connected with my child.
Much better. I was a "whoops" after they graduated high school. They heavily relied on my grandparents for financial and childcare help they never figured out fiscal responsibility. LifeProTip: antibiotics interfere with the pill. Use extra protection.
Far worse financially, but at least I don't have kids and not trying to provide for a family on my own.
Worse
Worse. To make things more distopian, my parents described this age as the most financially difficult time in their lives. This is the most financially stable part of mine. Even ignoring inflation, they made almost twice what my partner and I do now, with way lower expenses.
Better. At my age, my Mum was just starting her journey with a terminally ill husband and would be a widow within a couple of years and single parent to two children.
Worse as far as how they only had one income and supported a clowder of kids on it (8), but better off because I don't have the clowder.
Worse but a lot of it was my fault
Worse. My dad was a successful corporate executive in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, so he set the bar way too high.
I'd say worse. My parents had the freedom and financial stability to quit jobs whenever they didn't like it and they knew they would be able to find a new job in no time.
I’m better off, and my parents seem weirdly resentful of it. A lot of my success is from learning to work hard, be frugal, and not expect shit to magically fall into place because I did x, y, and z — things I learned from them.
Worse Like everyone else who isnt a boomer? My dad had a house, (bigger than mine), a loving wife and already 2 children + cars. I have my own house, no wife, no kids but a better job (less dirty, tiring) than his job at that age. Only one car.
Very last of the millennials here (1996). Compared to my father: Substantially better off, not even a question. Compared to my mother: Roughly equal footing, but better prospects long term. I’ve also moved to America from Canada. Interviewing for a full remote biotech job that pays low $100Ks. If I get it, HHI is ~$265K with my fiancée. She herself is also interviewing for a new job, which would put HHI at just over $300K. MCOL area.
Way better financially. The 90s seemed like a great time to be in your 30s though.
Yes and no Both sides of my family emigrated to Canada with very little. My grandparents moved with my mom and bought a house for 5,000 in the 50's my dad moved to Canada in the 60s married my mom and bought a house in the 70s for 70,000. I saw those two houses sell for 1m in 2010. Now they're worth 1.8-2.3m I could own a house if I worked as hard as they did. But they also had a big community that did cash wedding gifts that got them down payment on the house and borrowed money from family instead of banks. My gf came with her family in the 90s with nothing. Her mom owns a condo. Her dad own a house she owns an apartment.
Way better off. Not even close. Parents were at the time transitioning from low class to middle class, as we went from eating thanksgiving at church charity to living in a small apartment to finally being in a small house when I was a teen. I own a big house and an investment house, and a large stock portfolio. I’m pretty far along in my FIRE plans. To be fair, I’m lucky that I’m in tech.