Frustrated Man Claims That It's Wildly Unrealistic For People To Be 'Financially Stable' In Their 30s
He noticed that most 30-somethings are just trying to stay afloat.
baranq | Shutterstock There once was a time when entering your 30s meant a level of stability and independence that you just weren't able to achieve during the chaos of your 20s. However, with the economy's rising prices and the stark reality that many people can't even afford groceries anymore, those days feel like ancient history.
One frustrated man posted to Reddit arguing that it's time to move away from the narrative that once you hit your 30s, you should be financially independent and secure because he's living proof.
He claimed that it's wildly unrealistic for people to be 'financially stable' in their 30s.
"First off, the idea that everyone should be financially stable in their thirties is incredibly unrealistic. For many, the early years of their careers are spent paying off student loans, dealing with skyrocketing rent prices, or even struggling to find a decent-paying job in their field," he began in his Reddit post.
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Many younger generations, including millennials and Gen Zers, have to grapple with the fact that certain luxuries their parents and grandparents were able to enjoy just aren't in the cards for them.
He explained that the economic landscape has changed drastically over the last few decades, and yet people's expectations haven't.
Things like buying a home, getting married, and having children are now pipe dreams that Gen Zers are content with never having.
In a 2024 survey from Clever Real Estate, 60% of Gen Z worry they might never own a home, with nearly all adult Gen Zers (98%) citing significant barriers to homeownership.
He continued, pointing out that it's not just student loans, rising rent prices, and other expenses that are keeping 30-somethings from being financially secure, but it's also the everchanging and complicated job market as well.
He claimed that most entry-level jobs don't even pay enough to cover basic expenses, and it's almost impossible for people to put money away in their savings accounts because of the cost of living.
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Nearly two-thirds of American workers said their pay is not adequate to cover the rising cost of inflation, according to a report by Credit Karma, which polled more than 2,000 adults.
At the same time, roughly 62% of the U.S. population is living paycheck to paycheck, a separate survey by LendingClub found.
'Many of us are working gig jobs, part-time jobs, or multiple jobs just to make ends meet,' he pointed out.
It's definitely disheartening that adulthood and financial independence are becoming more of a struggle than anticipated.
A Pew Research Center analysis found that 55% of 18 to 34-year-olds are not completely financially independent of their parents. Gen Z’ers, the youngest of young adults, are the most likely to be at least partially financially dependent on their parents — 16% said they are completely financially independent.
"To all those people perpetuating the myth that you need to be financially stable and independent by your thirties: stop. Enough with this narrative... you're doing great in your thirties? Cool, just don't parade it with this 'in your face' attitude," he continued in his Reddit post.
It seems that people can only be financially secure if they work multiple jobs or cut back on other necessities just to afford others, which is no way to live.
He encouraged the idea that people should be more transparent about their finances because you never know what someone else is going through, and more often than not, others can relate to the financial struggles that are quite common, especially among people in the younger generations.
Allowing financial transparency in the different relationships we have, including both friendships and romantic relationships, can make it easy to offer support and build a community of people who might be going through the same things.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.