Millennial Realizes She'll Never Have The Same Financial Stability As Her Parents After Learning How Much Her Mom Makes In Retirement
She's frustrated and realizes that she'll always struggle.
wee dezign / Shutterstock The disparity in wealth between generations has long been a topic of discussion. Younger generations are finding it more and more difficult to keep up, while older generations are financially secure.
This reality fully hit one millennial during a discussion with her mother.
The millennial realized she’d never know the same financial stability as her mom.
One woman shared her story of never measuring up to her mother when it comes to money on Reddit. The post has garnered plenty of sympathy for the woman.
“About five years ago, my mom and I were talking, and she had told me how much she was going to be making in retirement (she retired [in] 2023),” she said. “Guys, it’s [three times] what me and my husband make annually. In retirement.”
The woman simply couldn’t wrap her mind around this fact.
“I think that was the moment that broke me, that made it sink in that I’ll never reach that level of financial security,” she stated. “I’ll work myself into my grave because I’ll never be able to afford anything else.”
The woman was far from alone in her feelings.
While this woman said her realization “broke” her, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Fellow millennials on Reddit commented on the post, offering words of encouragement and similar stories.
“My parents had the typical middle-class lifestyle, and I have had to earn double what they did to obtain it,” one person said.
“Where I work, everyone is retiring with pensions, but the company won’t even match my 401k,” another commented.
A third person said, “I’m 33 and make far more money than either one of my parents ever have. But because of [the] vastly increased cost of living, I don’t ‘have’ as much as they did at my age.”
It’s clear that millennials are feeling a kind of financial pressure that older generations are not familiar with.
Baby boomers hold considerably more wealth than younger generations do.
Baby boomers are in a better position financially than millennials and other younger generations.
According to the Federal Reserve, Boomers own 52.8% of all wealth in the U.S., compared to the 5.7% of millennials.
Regarding the Federal Reserve data, USA Today noted, “By age 35, 62% of boomers owned homes, while 49% of millennials were homeowners. Around 14% of millennials had negative net worth, compared to 8.7% of baby boomers.”
Aside from holding more wealth, boomers also experienced lower inflation rates when they were working. According to the International Monetary Fund, “Baby boomers drove down inflation when they joined the workforce and will drive it up as they retire.”
Therefore, when baby boomers joined the workforce, inflation hit a low. Now, as they retire, inflation has hit a high again. Since they are relatively set financially, they will likely not feel the effects of this inflation like their younger counterparts, who are still an active part of the economy.
One problem is that boomers seem to be largely unaware of this financial disparity. Perhaps if they had more knowledge of the situation, they would be more willing to do what they can to help younger generations. It would also give them the chance to be more understanding of those younger than them.
As the economy continues to become more and more volatile, millennials will likely adopt this feeling of “failure,” as the Reddit poster said.
Something must be done to turn around the direction that the economy is headed in.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.