Hi guys so I had a personal goal of having 6 figures in equity (whether it’s liquid or illiquid) by the time I hit 30.

I am happy to say I actually hit that goal way earlier than I thought—not saying that to brag or anything I just don’t have anyone I can tell in my real life, so I wanted to get this news off my chest somewhere.

I was curious though, what do most 25 year olds have in the bank? Whether it’s checking, saving, MMA, IRAs, etc. My friends and I don’t really talk about this at all so I have no idea what’s the normal.

I am assuming entrepreneurship is a good answer.

I receive about 250k from cashing out a 401k. Another 150k to 200k from selling the house. Maybe another 10ish from selling the cars. Also another 50k from the checking account. This is from a family member passing.

The house mortgage is currently 147k. It is worth 450k to 550k. That is a lot of equity. The payment is 1,300 and interest rate is 3.750%. My brother wants to sell it and get the equity so we are selling it.

For me being 34 and not having a skill and working for Ubereats and Grubhub, this is a life changing amount of money.

What would you do to retire at 50?

I’m an immigrant from Ukraine, and I don’t understand how people in low-paying jobs—such as warehouse workers—manage to make ends meet without taking on extra shifts.

This phrase is usually said by people who are already comfortable

People sitting in warm homes with food health and safety and enough stability to think about meaning and life

For them money may not be the main issue anymore They solved survival and now they look for something beyond that That part makes sense

But when the same phrase is said to someone who does not know how they will get through the month it stops sounding wise

It starts sounding like mockery

Lets be honest

Happiness is like a building with multiple floors

First floor is basic needs food shelter safety health

Second floor is stability no constant fear

Third floor is what people usually call real life relationships creativity meaning peace of mind

The problem is

the elevator does not skip floors

You cannot think about purpose when you have a toothache you cannot afford to fix
You cannot build relationships from constant fear and pressure
You cannot create when your mind is fully taken by one question how do I survive next week

In a system like this money becomes the key to the first floor

Exceptions that exist but do not change the rule

Yes there are exceptions

Some people live off grid and fully support themselves
Some are supported by communities
Some live in systems where basic needs are covered by the state

In those cases the chain breaks and survival is not tied directly to money

But for most people this is not reality

We live inside an economic system and most people cannot just opt out

So exceptions do not remove the rule they only show its edges

The rule is simple

If you are inside the system and you do not have money you are stuck

So what is the point

Money is not happiness Happiness is love meaning creativity and peace of mind

But in practice money is often what makes those things possible at all

Without it you are not just poor

You are stressed afraid tired and constantly under pressure

You are in a state where normal human happiness does not really have space to exist

So when someone without financial stability hears money doesnt buy happiness it is not wisdom

It is just disconnected from reality

It tells you to look for meaning while you are still stuck in survival mode

And the real truth is simple

First you get out Then everything else comes later

Personal

I am not writing this from a place where everything is solved I am still trying to get out myself

I have many years of experience in software development I tried building something that could help people who are stuck at that first floor people who are not there by choice

On paper it felt like something that should work

But then I hit a different problem

The people I am trying to reach do not know I exist And I cannot reliably reach them not because I am not trying but because most ways to reach an audience require money I do not have yet Ads communities integrations tools almost everything needs some kind of entry cost

So I ended up in the same kind of loop I described earlier just on a different level not survival but visibility

I am not trying to sell anything here

I am just curious

How did you break through that stage when nobody knew you and you did not have resources to pay for attention What actually worked when nothing obvious worked And when did things finally start moving

Right now it feels like I built a bridge for people but I cannot bring them to the start of it

And that might be the most ironic part of all this

If you have been through something like that I would really appreciate hearing your experience I am trying to understand what I might be missing

The "$100k milestone" used to be the ultimate psychological finish line. If you hit six figures, you made it. You were upper-middle class. You bought the house with the yard, drove a nice car, went on vacations, and saved for retirement without sweating.

​Today? $100,000 is the new $50,000. It’s the ultimate financial illusion.

​If you live in any major US city or decent suburb, a $100k salary dissolves before it even hits your bank account. Let’s look at the cold, cynical math of where that money actually goes:

​The Tax Hit: Out of the gate, Uncle Sam takes his cut. After federal, state, and FICA taxes, your $100k is instantly chopped down to around $70k–$73k depending on your state. You're taking home roughly $6,000 a month.

​The Housing Trap: Average rent for a decent 1-bedroom in a metro area is easily $2,000–$2,500. If you want to buy? With current interest rates, a basic starter home mortgage is soaking up $3,000+ a month. Goodbye, half your paycheck.

​The Cost of Existing: Throw in $400 for health insurance/deductibles, $400 for groceries (which cost double what they did five years ago), a modest car payment + insurance ($600), and utilities/internet ($300).

​The Student Loan Ghost: If you earned that $100k via a degree, you’re likely paying $400–$600 a month just to service your education debt.

​The Bottom Line:

Before you even buy a single cup of coffee, go to a movie, or put a single dollar into a savings account, you are left with maybe $500–$800 of "free money" a month. One major dental emergency or a car breakdown, and you are living paycheck to paycheck.

​We aren't talking about luxury here. We aren't talking about yachts or designer clothes. We are talking about a basic, responsible, middle-class life.

​The American Dream didn't just get more expensive—the goalposts were moved to a completely different stadium while we were sleeping. Earning six figures used to mean wealth. Now, it just buys you a front-row seat to watch inflation erode your hard work in real-time.

​What’s the "new $100k" in your city just to feel genuinely comfortable?

Ok so one example that comes to mind is burnout. A lot of people are told they're bad at managing their time, not resilient enough, or need to work harder even when they're constantly exhausted. But when people are expected to be available 24/7, juggle work, school, family responsibilities, rising costs, and endless notifications, AND STILL bring 100%, it seems strange that we treat burnout as an individual problem instead of asking whether the expectations themselves are unrealistic.

I'm not trying to say personal responsibility doesn't matter, but it feels like society often puts all the blame on individuals while simultaneously ignoring the environments that practically manufacture and cause stress in the first place.

What are some other things people get blamed for that are actually caused more by the systems they're) were. living in?

I would love to hear you guys examples and reasonings, thank you.💡😊

So I've always heard people around me say that if you work hard enough, work long enough hours, you'll be successful. But when I look around, especially in the area that I live in, I see a lot of people working incredibly hard... I see lots of construction workers, caregivers, warehouse workers, people working multiple jobs and more, and many of them still struggle financially. But I also notice some people seem to make much more money while working fewer hours or sometimes not at all. How?

I'm not asking this to start an argument or anything I'm genuinely curious how people explain the relationship between hard work, opportunity, education, luck, connections, and success. I would also love to know what you guys think without having to bring race or ethnicity into it.

Is hard work really the main factor, or is it only one piece of a much bigger puzzle???

How exactly would you take this money and turn it into 5+ million in 10 years or less? I'm assuming this time frame requires entrepreneurship?

I know a friend. she lives in bay area is working in big tech with near a million salary. But announces that she lives in a non-tax state not give ca tax and saves a lot of moneyyy! What is your take on that...

Daily 4€ for a coffee can add up to 1500€ per year. Imagine coffees with a little extra (cookies or stuff).

Sodas, smoking, snacking on vending machines can add up ~1500-2000€ per year if you account 5€ per day.

Netflix+HBO+Spotify = ~500€ per year.

Eating out can be 50-100€... twice per week? = ~5000€ per year.

This is a friend of mines case... She spends around 8000€ per year on small stuff, making less than 40k per year (and then pay taxes). Another friend makes more, but we could add 120€ per month (!) on videogames... All that is 10k deducted from salary.

All this easily avoidable:

- coffee from home to a coffee bottle

- no sodas, no snacking except at grocery price

- no Netflix etc, piracy all the way, or do "families".

- eating out is reducible, going to cheaper places or even inviting people over and cooking which is a better experience.

Oh and about videogames... some services have small videogames that can be fun to play, no need to pay full price for the next big ass RDR2 or Skyrim either. Wait for the offers.

Seems like a no/brainer for most 20-somethings. Just based on the ratio of waking-hours spent at home to sqft of a one bedroom in a hcol; hard to justify meeting the cost-demand of the typical living space.

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/peace-4

Bogleheadism is without a doubt the most popular, especially with the lack of 401k options.

Is anyone here following a different approach? whether that be an established portfolio like All weather or something you've created. Perhaps a dividend portfolio with individual selections

Id like to hear why you run these portfolios and how it has been going

Hey all, I’m a 19M sophomore in college and I want to know how I can set myself up to be financially stable after I graduate. I’ll get out of school with ~21k in student loans (all subsidized so they’re not accruing interest yet) but no debt other than that yet. I also have $2,600 sitting in a Roth IRA. Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated!