Yea, because I have a little more money saved for retirement otherwise I am about the same.
this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2025
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Surprisingly, yes. I made some risky decisions between 2020-2022 that paid off significantly, though.
The pandemic turned my prior job to 100% remote and I got in writing from their HR that I could move anywhere in my province. This allowed me to find a house I was able to afford buying, so that's what I did with the support of my wife. About a year after that I got a much higher paying job local to my new home, which is when I beat or matched my parent's income at the time which certainly was more than when she was my age.
I lept into the unknown and didn't die, it's been great!
Yes! But it's because our situations are very different. I don't have a child, but I was already a preteen when my mom was this age. I didn't have a deadbeat, abusive, drug addicted, , money draining spouse. I've cut off people (family) that I saw take advantage of my mother growing up. I don't have a sibling who is a manipulative, selfish, lazy, money grubbing piece of shit. Fuck, I don't have a daughter (me) that I've had to help for years while she tried to get on her feet.
I also have a wonderful mother who did what she could to set me up for success, trying to correct the mistakes of her childhood. My great aunt left me some money that helped with school (I'm still in debt, but could have been way worse). I have a good friend that talks me out of reckless shit, not egging me on to take advtage.
I'm also less social, so I'm not going out to lunch or parties and what have you. I live alone with one cat.
TL;DR: Yes, but is because I have less responbilities than my mother had at this age, and it's cheaper living a solitary lifestyle with one kitty cat.
Gosh no, not in Canada.
They paid 170k for a great house in one of the nicest neighborhood of Montreal in the 90s. I'll be paying 3x more for a super basic house in a shitty neighborhood. I was lucky enough to buy a house before the pandemic so I made a profit selling it, but even with that I won't even come close to their way of living.
Financially? No Psychologically? Also no but I've actually got therapy and taken a step to breaking generational trauma so that's something!
In some ways, sure. I'm not religious, and I don't have children. In terms of finances, no.
Financially yes, psychologically, no.
Technically not since they were married, were renting small house, and had at least one kid by the time they were my age. I'm still in college.
Better in what regard? Fiscally all things adjusted and accounted for? Fuck no,
Progress as a person and self growth and development? Absolutely.
Also I will never breed, so always will be one up on my parents there,
Absolutely same
yes
Lol, no. They were able to have a house and multiple kids on one salary.
When my parents were my age, they left their country to move to the US in search of opportunities. Now that I'm that age, I'm leaving my country to move to another because of literal Nazis
Absolutely. Both me and my siblings. My parents were in an okay spot at this point, but they supported us to do far better.
Times were pretty borked compared to now, at least in this country.
In terms of satisfaction? No. In terms of finances? Not sure. By my age, my parents were together, my mom had my sister and my dad became a step father to her, they had a lot of friends and were very popular. Me...not so much in any of those things. But I'm living comfortably in my own apartment, no kids or S.O. so I have a lot of spare cash and a lot of things I like. I don't know if my parents had the same pleasures as me at this age.
I would say same standard of living but the difference is they had a kid and my wife and I donβt. We simply could not have the same lifestyle if we had children.
Same.
That's partly why I never married or had a family. I wanted all my time and money to myself and to have more freedom.
Yeah, kids are darn expensive. I'm damn happy my parents decided to have me despite that fact. :)
To answer OP's question, also doing better than them at the same age. Big part of it was investing early (time-value of money is a massive deal) and keeping the same car forever. My parents have spent quite a bit on cars over the years, it is probably their largest reducible expense. I bought a lightly used crossover a long time ago, and it's got a long life ahead of it.
No. I'm not in a bad spot but definitely not as comfortable as I grew up.
Not even close
Nope.
Not at all. And I'm doing extremely well.
Hell no, but physical disability... I live in the USA where disability seems like a homelessness death sentence
Nope, and the horrible thing is that I have a high earning job while they didn't even work, they got to live off of my grandparents' wealth (which was half from actual impressive entrepreneurship and half from just buying cheap land that over the years became very valuable) and then they mady terrible financial decisions (as rich kids often do) and now I get to earn my own money. I'm glad that I get to be independent, but sure would have been fun to have some family wealth as well...
Absolutely not.
Nope.
Yeah, by a long shot. We didn't have a lot growing up but my parents made sure I went to school.
Yes and no. I probably am a bit better off than my parents, but they raised 4 kids and I raised none. My Mom was mostly stay at home (went back to work after all us kids moved out). My spouse has a good career, which is an added bonus.
Yep. Low bar to clear
Yes.
I have a home, a good job, and am able to save enough that it's possible I may be able to retire in my fifties.
The only responsible decision my parents made was to pay off their house. They had over a dozen kids and my dad literally roofed houses until he couldn't anymore physically. They're now in their 80's and driving for DoorDash, in a car they've "borrowed" from me for almost a year, that I'm certain I'm never getting back.
And, somehow, despite having no mortgage or car payment, they still aren't paying their bills on time. (But, to be fair, that's also a referendum on the US economy and capitalism in general, and none of us can get actual progressives elected.)
Sounds like my parents. I am younger but my dad is a alcoholic and drug addict that pissed away his retirement. He's 63 and just getting out of rehab for the 50th time.
Yeah, mine was an alcoholic for 25 years but inexplicably quit cold turkey one day when I was a teen.
I think it's just a ton of undiagnosed, untreated mental illness. My mom's mother was abusive and her loving father died when she was a teen. My dad's dad died when he was eleven and he became the breadwinner for his mom and siblings, and didn't stop working for another sixty-five years. (Well, he drives for DoorDash now, so I suppose he's still working, but it's a far cry from roofing.)
I actually feel a little bad for my dad. He worked his ass off his whole life and has almost nothing to show for it, but somehow, could never put his foot down when it came to my mom and adding more kids to the family. In most other countries his lifetime of work and owning a business would have meant a comfortable retirement, but not here. In America, no one gives a fuck.
My parents had a mortgage; car loans; and 4 children at my age, while I struggle to maintain employment and don't qualify for any type of financing because of it and all this despite having a very high demand skillet in tech; I'm not only doing worse than my parents, but worse than most of my peers.
To be fair: I don't fit the stereotype of an autistic person so people presume I'm neurotypical and that keeps long term employment out of reach for me.
Much better, and certainly without them.
Me? Yes, but I am an outlier, and it's not because I'm doing "well". It's more because my parents were both horrible with money. 2 mortgages on the house, multiple car loans, mom was part of an MLM, and we were a family of 4 on a government worker's salary. One of my dad's complaints was that he couldn't go out to eat once a week with coworkers because we couldn't afford it. In addition they were horrible with credit and loans, took out as much as they could and then paid off things routinely late. I have no idea where they are now but last time I checked their credit score (for them, because they don't know how), it was in the low 400s.
We grew up poor. Well, I hesitate to say poor because I know there are those who had it worse, and I do blame them for their choices for a good chunk of it too.
Absolutely yes. I'm very fortunate.
Hard to compare in my case. Iβm the same age as my mom when she had me, and we were multiple kids at that point. At the time we were probably smack dab middle class and were living comfortably. On the other hand Iβm better off in the sense that Iβm in another country that has a higher standard of living and way higher salaries, and we donβt have kids. So technically more money to spend than they did having to support kids.