[USER]

I’ve noticed several topics by people in their 20s and 30s so eager to retire already although they are just starting out in their careers. It saddens me to see that that generation is so unhappy, or is there a sense of entitlement?

[Adam]

I think it’s simply that younger people no longer buy into the 9-5 bullsh1t. They’re smarter than all of us.

[Thomas]

It saddens you that young people prefer to have the freedom to do what they want, when they want, and how they want as soon as possible, instead of waiting until they’re too old to enjoy it?

[Breanna]

We have nothing to gain, there is no “you reap what you sow”, we work ours butts off and for what?

We will have no social security pay out and we can barely afford anything but basic necessity. This is coming from someone who grew up lower middle class, been working since 14 y.o, 4 college degree, 80k salary.

[Haydee]

I’ve been fantasizing about retirement since I was 16, I’m turning 50 this year. Not everybody gets joy from working for decades.

[Kathryn]

You know this a Retire Early page, right? If anything people really need to be talking MORE about lifestyle choices, wealth accumulation and retirement strategies in their 20s and 30s.

[Rosco]

The question is, where will the workforce and skilled “high quality” labor come from? Not working for someone else’s company is one mentality, but not producing value for society outside of spending money will destroy society long term,

[Tonya]

I’m 32 and worked my tail off to get to the point where I can afford to work 3 days a week and still hit all my savings/investment goals! It’s not entitlement (though many coworkers would disagree, they cannot wrap their minds around it) and I’m not unhappy.

I enjoy my job, but it is JUST A JOB. Your job should not be the most fulfilling thing in your life!

[Karen]

There may or may not be a sense of entitlement in younger generations. However, I would not equate “eager to retire” with “unhappiness” or “entitlement.” Striving to achieve financial independence and the freedom associated with it at any age is not a negative thing. It doesn’t necessarily indicate unhappiness. If young people are working, saving, living frugally, investing, etc., to gain that financial independence, that is not entitlement.

That is establishing a goal and taking steps to achieve it. I think everyone needs purpose at all ages.

A career and/or the money associated with it may be part of that purpose for some, but it is possible to find meaning and contribute to the world while being financially independent.

If a young person told me they wanted to retire at 30, my question to them would be exactly the same question I ask friends getting ready to retire in their 60s and 70s. What’s next?

I would argue that “nothing” is not a great answer in the long term and will not likely result in a fulfilling life. But there is a huge range of answers that do not include working for compensation that could lead to a very fulfilling life.

[Kristi]

Lol we’re (me and my husband) entitled because we want to spend all of our time with our kids and each other instead of slaving away for a pay check? Nah, that doesn’t make sense. We have been together since we were 17. We had 1 living parent between the two of us at that point and my FIL is the only one to reach the age of 50. We know how short life is and that’s exactly why we FIREd before we even had kids.

[Louis]

I mean I guess it depends on if you think I should feel entitled to a single family home within driving distance of where I work, having worked 15 years and graduated with an ivy league engineering degree and pulled down 6 figures for the last 14 years. Is that entitled? The fact is, homes in my area are so expensive that for a comparable amount of money I could retire. For the last 15 years, I’ve either rented a bedroom in someone’s house or lived in a 1 bedroom condo I bought in the housing crash for 1.5X my income at the time.

Living with 1 bedroom doesn’t lend itself to having a family. Should I have felt entitled to a family? The baby boomers put the country into a tremendous amount of debt, and their choices have screwed over millennials and gen z. And what do they say with their dying breath? That I’m entitled?

I’m saving over half my take home pay and, adjusting for inflation, I’ve built more net worth faster than both my parents combined. I’ve driven the same honda civic for 14 years, and I’ll be driving it another 10. I have high blood pressure from sitting at a computer for too long. I guess I wasn’t entitled to low blood pressure. It could be worse – I could have been born in Sudan or Yemen.

What is your expectation of me? That I’m going to just sit at a computer until I die? For what? So, I can buy some overpriced boomer home and cash them out to Florida?

[Amanda]

To me it’s having dual income families still struggling when a single income on a 9-5 was enough to live on.

Now people struggle to make it and I want to enjoy time with my kids before they start having to work too.

So yes, I’ll be retiring early and enjoying every minute of it!

[Kyle]

I think it’s because the younger generation has more financial educational resources and platforms than the older generations did. Investing is also a lot more accessible than it used to be.

Before online investing was an option, I’m sure that it was more out of reach for younger people during those times than it is now.

[Matt]

It shouldn’t sadden you, it should gladden you. They understand the assignment. Time is their friend. Start early and you can live better later, whether you’re working or not.

I wish I could tell every 16–17-year-old at their first McJob, try to save like $10-20 off of every check.

They’ll be millionaires by the time they’re FORTY.

[Paula]

Not everyone has a career to enjoy the life to the fullest. Not everyone has a college. I have a good blue collar job but the life will starts after I retire. FI is the goal I’ll definitely find an easier job afterwards and part time.

[Mena]

What I think about a lot is how technology is supposed to make life easier. By automating processes, speeding up how we do things etc, but the majority of us are still working crazy hours.

Ideally, everyone would work part time and I don’t believe there is actually any real reason why we can’t, other than greedy governments stuck in a status quo taxation policies and lacking a broader vision for economic policy.

I applaud younger people for pushing back. Not just on work but on crazy housing prices and outrageous inflation that’s trying to lock them into servitude for a life time.

[Maria]

Growing up it was the norm to put in 20 years at your 9-5 and retire with a great pension and health insurance. Now we don’t have any of that.

I wish I was smarter in my 20s instead of trying to learn in my 30s. Thankfully, I love my job and plan to stay put for awhile.

My husband is self employed and hates what he does.

We make decent money but we are barely paying bills while trying to get ahead.

We are severely behind on savings and retirement etc and with the price of things these days I can tell you that in general, my generation working “9-5s”isn’t getting paid enough to plan for retirement and raise a family and keep the lights on.

Daycare alone costs more than our mortgage but we also can’t live on a single salary.

Good for those who are learning early how to plan for their future and live the life they want how they want.

[Author]

Posts