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So you should be all set, and make a comfortable living if you have that work ethic.
I made a very comfortable living in another state before we moved, but I've made definite inroads here, and I will continue to do so.
My point was that even the most ambitious, hard-working, determined, smart, skilled, competent individuals can experience great misfortune that all the planning in the world couldn't have prepared them for. They can lose everything, or almost everything, through no fault of their own, as the last few years since the downturn has proven. Sometimes, even the best and brightest can fall through the cracks.
Bootstrappers seem to either deny that fact or to be oblivious to it.
I meant valued skills. If everyone learns the same skills they wouldn't be valued anymore. Supply and demand. Pick a passion and interest and go with it.
Would they not just be filling jobs already available? I fail to see how that would boost the economy
I made a very comfortable living in another state before we moved, but I've made definite inroads here, and I will continue to do so.
My point was that even the most ambitious, hard-working, determined, smart, skilled, competent individuals can experience great misfortune that all the planning in the world couldn't have prepared them for. They can lose everything, or almost everything, through no fault of their own, as the last few years since the downturn has proven. Sometimes, even the best and brightest can fall through the cracks.
Bootstrappers seem to either deny that fact or to be oblivious to it.
I will have to google what you mean by "bootstrappers", as I'm not 100% sure what that means in this context.
And I agree, often there are things beyond a person's control that can momentarily impact earnings. But, speaking about generations as a WHOLE, that is not germane to this thread. In GENERAL, an ambitious, hard-working, determined, smart, skilled, competent person is going to do very well. The difference is that many, in the Millennial generation do not possess those skills, and thus will whine about the successes of others, feeling that they are entitled to said successes without doing the things necessary to obtain them.
Exactly. And then people will blame the wealthy for the "income inequality". I call bull****. I MAKE my opportunities. I have been all over the income spectrum. And I am SOLELY responsible for the choices I made that either brought me more money than I could spend, or put me in the position where I ate ramen noodles 7 nights a week.
That is not true at all.
If you think your a 1 man show then I suggest you leave the US and go start your own country. That's an insult to all of the people who make your life comfortable in this society.
You wouldn't have a business if it wasn't for a stable society. Good employees. That loan. Etc, etc.
I understand that you may have worked hard, but there were many other factors that played into you getting where your at (not to take ANYTHING away from you, at all).
The 2nd wealthiest man I've ever met (1st was from Enron) had a quote. "We're all just turtles on a fencepost"
As a parent, I think one of the most important things I've done is to prioritize retirement and college savings. I think the biggest hurdle Millennials face is starting life with a mountain of debt. My kids might not be able to live luxuriously right out of school, but if they use their resources wisely, at least they won't have enormous student loans hanging over their heads.
I feel bad for my son, he is 29. Him and his fiancé' are slowly working their way up to a better existence (ie: better housing, more disposable income) as they have attained better jobs. It is just that the area in which they live and have their well paying jobs has a high COL. So even as they earn more collectively, the COL will probably stay one step ahead. Most of the single family apartments and almost all of the homes are out of reach for them especially when you count taxes and all you need to put down these days to get a mortgage. As far as being a senior, my wife and I are by no means wealthy. We saved money over years, worked our way up career-wise and purchased a CHEAP home cash so no mortgage, but I mean we are not by any means "rolling in dough". My point is age doesn't necessarily determine class/wealth and this is something that takes time to do. If one is smart and works their way up job-wise and saves and spends smartly one can one day own one's own home, retirement, etc. granted it is not like it was in the 50s/60s. Today however everyone seems to want to start at the top or near the top. With a few exceptions, that just doesn't happen.
If you think your a 1 man show then I suggest you leave the US and go start your own country. That's an insult to all of the people who make your life comfortable in this society.
You wouldn't have a business if it wasn't for a stable society. Good employees. That loan. Etc, etc.
I understand that you may have worked hard, but there were many other factors that played into you getting where your at (not to take ANYTHING away from you, at all).
The 2nd wealthiest man I've ever met (1st was from Enron) had a quote. "We're all just turtles on a fencepost"
I'm not to the point yet where I can buy my island
But yes, I understand what you're saying. I agree that we don't live in vacuums. That there needs to be a societal infrastructure for support. My point is that there are different types of people. Those who will work as hard as they can, make the right decisions, and get "ahead" in life. And then there are those who won't.
The wealthiest man I know has a quote also: "Buy low, sell high".. words to live by
I will have to google what you mean by "bootstrappers", as I'm not 100% sure what that means in this context.
And I agree, often there are things beyond a person's control that can momentarily impact earnings. But, speaking about generations as a WHOLE, that is not germane to this thread. In GENERAL, an ambitious, hard-working, determined, smart, skilled, competent person is going to do very well. The difference is that many, in the Millennial generation do not possess those skills, and thus will whine about the successes of others, feeling that they are entitled to said successes without doing the things necessary to obtain them.
You're right: I failed to tie that point into the topic of the thread.
Do I think some Millennials have been so spoiled that they don't know how to tackle and overcome obstacles? Absolutely. I've worked with some of them. But I've also worked with plenty of spoiled, lazy Boomers who weren't worth what they were paid (not even close, in fact), and wouldn't know a day of hard work if one hit them in the face. The funny thing is that they honestly believe that they HAVE been hard-working all their lives. Cracks me up.
There are some Millennials, though, who've done everything "right," everything they were "supposed to" in order to be relatively successful. Nonetheless, they find themselves in seemingly hopeless circumstances and wonder, how the heck did I get here?
I can certainly understand their feelings of disappointment.
I feel bad for my son, he is 29. Him and his fiancé' are slowly working their way up to a better existence (ie: better housing, more disposable income) as they have attained better jobs. It is just that the area in which they live and have their well paying jobs has a high COL. So even as they earn more collectively, the COL will probably stay one step ahead. Most of the single family apartments and almost all of the homes are out of reach for them especially when you count taxes and all you need to put down these days to get a mortgage. As far as being a senior, my wife and I are by no means wealthy. We saved money over years, worked our way up career-wise and purchased a CHEAP home cash so no mortgage, but I mean we are not by any means "rolling in dough". My point is age doesn't necessarily determine class/wealth and this is something that takes time to do. If one is smart and works their way up job-wise and saves and spends smartly one can one day own one's own home, retirement, etc. granted it is not like it was in the 50s/60s. Today however everyone seems to want to start at the top or near the top. With a few exceptions, that just doesn't happen.
Very valid points. I was running in to the same thing when I lived in New England. Between housing prices and taxes, money wasn't going as far as it should. So I fixed that. I moved to an area of the country which has an extremely low cost of living. I work in the same industry here, making the same amount of money as I did, but we are able to save quite a bit more and live quite a bit better here.
Depending on your son's field of expertise, that might be an option for him.
You're right: I failed to tie that point into the topic of the thread.
Do I think some Millennials have been so spoiled that they don't know how to tackle and overcome obstacles? Absolutely. I've worked with some of them. But I've also worked with plenty of spoiled, lazy Boomers who weren't worth what they were paid (not even close, in fact), and wouldn't know a day of hard work if one hit them in the face. The funny thing is that they honestly believe that they HAVE been hard-working all their lives. Cracks me up.
There are some of Millennials, though, who've done everything "right," everything they were "supposed to" in order to be relatively successful. Nonetheless, they find themselves in seemingly hopeless circumstances and wonder, how the heck did I get here?
I can certainly understand their feelings of disappointment.
Would you say you have experienced more spoiled and lazy Boomers than Millennials? What about Gen X, Y, and Zers?
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