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Old 11-11-2016, 02:19 PM
 
Location: Northern Wisconsin
10,379 posts, read 10,846,452 times
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I used to desire the American dream, but no more.
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Old 11-11-2016, 02:20 PM
 
Location: equator
10,998 posts, read 6,540,450 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffD View Post
It sort of does. Post WW II, the United States experienced unprecedented growth. You had better odds entering the labor market in 1950 than in 1990. If you entered the labor market in 1950, you had the chance of spending your entire career with the same employer and having a nice defined-benefit pension. In 1990, you were lucky if your employer matched your 401(k). Mine certainly never did. Few people remained with the same employer for even a decade. It's been more challenging to accumulate wealth over the last couple of decades. A balanced mutual fund portfolio in a 401(k) hasn't done anything like in earlier years. In addition, there wasn't the income stratification there is now. If you're not in the top-20% today, your inflation-adjusted pay is eroding.

Agreed. My father was in WW2 and says he was really fortunate in that he got free college on the GI Bill, was able to buy a house, had a new baby, wife who never worked, new car--all in the first year. Then new Cadillacs every other year...all in the new field of Physical Therapy. Eventually he had 3 homes. He was the first to admit how blessed he was that those opportunities existed for him and recognized they did not for his 5 children. All his daughters had to work. Though they were successful, they certainly never had 2 or 3 homes, a string of new cars and 30% to charity. Not to mention 5 kids!


Things are different than back then.
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Old 11-11-2016, 02:26 PM
 
Location: in a parallel universe
2,648 posts, read 2,289,038 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
Flushing, NY is not NYC. Food is a LOT cheaper there.

It most certainly is... but it's not Manhattan.

NYC is made up of 5 boroughs..

There's Brooklyn
Queens
Bronx
Staten Island

and Manhattan. Manhattan is the borough that just about all outsiders refer to as NYC. I live in NYC too, but not Manhattan although I used to work there.
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Old 11-12-2016, 11:00 AM
 
12,048 posts, read 10,187,408 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sand&Salt View Post
Agreed. My father was in WW2 and says he was really fortunate in that he got free college on the GI Bill, was able to buy a house, had a new baby, wife who never worked, new car--all in the first year. Then new Cadillacs every other year...all in the new field of Physical Therapy. Eventually he had 3 homes. He was the first to admit how blessed he was that those opportunities existed for him and recognized they did not for his 5 children. All his daughters had to work. Though they were successful, they certainly never had 2 or 3 homes, a string of new cars and 30% to charity. Not to mention 5 kids!


Things are different than back then.
yea - but do you know if your mother wanted to work?

My mom sure did. She was born in 1924 and would tell us if she had been born a man, things would have been so different for her. She didn't want us to stay home unless that is what we wanted.

My mother would do all kinds of side jobs to have her own money. My dad was also a ww2 vet and was lucky to be employed by the feds and have good benefits.
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Old 11-14-2016, 09:10 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,156 posts, read 80,258,802 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemencia53 View Post
yea - but do you know if your mother wanted to work?

My mom sure did. She was born in 1924 and would tell us if she had been born a man, things would have been so different for her. She didn't want us to stay home unless that is what we wanted.

My mother would do all kinds of side jobs to have her own money. My dad was also a ww2 vet and was lucky to be employed by the feds and have good benefits.
That sounds very familiar, my father was in the navy in WWII and then worked for them as a civilian. My mother never worked until they divorced after 22 years with 3 of the 9 kids still at home. She would have loved to work rather than stay home changing diapers for over 20 years. The divorce left her with few options, at age 45 and no work experience. Fortunately she was artistic and a friend that owned a florist business gave her a job, and she got half of my father's pension when he retired at age 55.
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Old 11-14-2016, 10:50 AM
 
284 posts, read 360,103 times
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To me the American Dream is having the ability to "choose" what that dream looks like. It can be vastly different for people.

My American Dream is pretty traditional, but I think it's really more about security. I want to know that because I've worked hard and been pretty responsible, I'll be able to relax, enjoy my time, and have peace in my senior years. I see it as kind of a reward for sticking with a plan, even though at times I wanted to bail. I personally want experiences more than stuff. I would like to do a little travelling, mainly to scenic places around the U.S. and go to various music festivals. I've always dreamed of living somewhere on the water, and yes I want a boat. Those are my "biggies". I learned several years ago that an evening on the water was much better for me than sitting on a therapists couch or taking a pill. It really is my happy place, so I've made that a priority. Cars are for transportation and I could care less as long as they're reliable. All the other stuff is just that and not worth stressing about or going into debt over. But that's me...
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Old 11-14-2016, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Living on the Coast in Oxnard CA
16,289 posts, read 32,214,263 times
Reputation: 21885
Quote:
Originally Posted by elliedeee View Post
It most certainly is... but it's not Manhattan.

NYC is made up of 5 boroughs..

There's Brooklyn
Queens
Bronx
Staten Island

and Manhattan. Manhattan is the borough that just about all outsiders refer to as NYC. I live in NYC too, but not Manhattan although I used to work there.
Since you are from Flushing I am just wondering. have you ever met that nanny named Fran?
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Old 11-14-2016, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Living on the Coast in Oxnard CA
16,289 posts, read 32,214,263 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by augiedogie View Post
I used to desire the American dream, but no more.
Why not?
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Old 11-14-2016, 09:47 PM
 
6,438 posts, read 6,873,283 times
Reputation: 8739
Quote:
Originally Posted by freemkt View Post
I don't care if they buy pizza and cocktails; I get annoyed when they spend it on housing and thereby make housing unaffordable to the pizza cooks and dishwashers, because then they are messing with my meager standard of living.
At least you are aware of your limitations.

I'll remember to blow a wad on pizza and cocktails instead of paying my mortgage, to drive the price of housing down and help you a bit :-)
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Old 11-15-2016, 08:45 AM
 
4,142 posts, read 3,870,682 times
Reputation: 10886
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel View Post
At least you are aware of your limitations.

I'll remember to blow a wad on pizza and cocktails instead of paying my mortgage, to drive the price of housing down and help you a bit :-)
Lol, Larry, thanks for taking one for the team.
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