I made a post in a thread started by a 19 year old in a thread asking about how they should “build wealth” over on r/personalfinance
Most of the answers came from millennials and the tone was pretty much “Work and save, at the expense of living your life as an actual human. Look after your health and mental health because not doing so will cost you money. Then one day you can retire.”
What the fuck kind of life advise is that? I offered the following:
This is not in any way a criticism, but I can’t help but wonder if I’m the only one who doesn’t find this a little depressing. Fully expecting downvotes.
I was born poor. Left home at 14. At the OP’s age, I was ambitious and pretty successful (been able to jettison from a dotcom startup into my own business which ran well for a decade after.) The least of my concerns was what retirement might look like.
I was absolutely living my life. Learning about myself as a person, my sexuality, spending as much time as possible on vacation. (Was living in London, taking full advantage of frequent weeks away via cheap flights all around Europe.)
I spent money like water on cars, and car building. Got my FIA qualifications, learned how to race and spent a lot of time at the track. Drove my 205 GTi down to Le Mans to take part in events around the main race. Trailered my Caterham to the Nürburgring and played car swaps. The whole time being laser focused on getting laid as much as possible, being out at night, raves, ecstasy, adventures both seedy and wholesome, as much and as often as possible. Always refused to work under any sort of corporate bullshit. I got around the cities I lived in (London, Paris, Marseilles) on a 125cc modified two stroke scooter. I properly lived my young life.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road: Was any of that a wise investment? It was an investment in me as a person, an expensive one. But it has been monetized far beyond what I may have saved by getting “a job” and following conventional financial wisdom. (Which would have likely gone sideways in 2008 anyway, right?)
I developed interests, developed myself as an interesting and experienced person. I bought and sold vintage race cars, a direct result of my involvement in motorsports. Along with racing, I learned carpentry and general building. I now own a business in that field. Migrated to the US over 20 years ago. Married to a teacher. Life is great.
If I’d spent my life thus far with my nose to the grindstone, being focused on numbers on a screen purporting to represent my fiscal health, which was locked away until it was deemed appropriate to retire and have enough money to make it above the poverty line, having lived a life as a slave to corporatism and engineered fear… I can’t imagine how bad I’d feel. Having forsaken actually living life when young in favor of possible stability while retiring? What the hell kind of thinking is this?
We are humans. Not robots. This sub is awash with people expounding their financial health who don’t seem to realize they spent their short time on earth being a cog in a system. It’s a disease, and it’s bullsh*t.
Imagine being 60. What did you do with your life? Worked, so you could be 60 one day. And perhaps make it to 90? It’s no wonder this country is in a mental health and addiction crisis. People can’t be people.
To the OP I say live your life. Learn things. Experience joy. Meet people. Reject corporatism. Live free. Follow your passions and they will pay you, forming your retirement funds organically. Don’t just be cowed by societal fear into a life of meaninglessness.
You can lose and regain money. You are not getting back a single second of your life.
I fully stand by this. There is a generational coercion at play to get young people to submit to corporate conformity, and work away your life until you’re deemed of no use. It’s all driven by fear.
Spoiler: “A financial thing” will probably happen which takes the modest hoard you exchanged your ACTUAL LIFE for, and make it disappear somehow anyway.
It’s just fucking mind blowing how successful the “Work under corporate conformity, against your own best interests and make banks money” propaganda has been.
Like, don’t be a real person, just accept that you’re a disposable cog and hope you’re able to “be okay” when you’re old.
Some sort of pushback against this needs to happen. I can’t help but feel that r/antiwork should start disrupting r/personalfinance