They don't spend nearly as much on health care because they don't have nearly the same rates of chronic disease, which is something Kennedy wants to tackle and you all hate him because the TV told you to.
This is why I don't like (and would never vote for) RFK Jr RFK Jr on Lex Fridman podcast https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6wjwiUieoMPTLxUTKKFQHuHv9IIO2nEn?si=C8TTqdntdz-kX9c-
There is a drug or vaccine for any illness and disease, it really is amazing how we as a society have benefited from what the medical and pharm industries can provide. I only wish that we could do a better job of keeping fentanyl and opioids off the street.
You're so fucking infuriating when you talk about money. You don't even for a moment admit how lucky you have been. "Oh I saved $300 a month and drove a shitty truck and that's why I'm happy and well at 70!" It's such boomer horseshit. My parents are your age, and did the same and you know where that got them? Dad's fucking dead, worked himself to death at 64. 401k and personal savings completely wiped out by a decade of increasingly worse hospital visits. And here's the best part: you know why dad died at 64? Because his life insurance ran out at 65. He was in the hospital and just gave up so that mom would at least have a little left after he goes. Gain some fucking perspective.
Well I guess I just did. I’ll avoid talking to you about financial choices since you seem frustrated by simple advice. You can just ignore my input if that’s the reaction. We disagree about how to solve an issue and that’s fine but there’s no need to be condescending about it. I’m pretty shocked at your response actually. sorry about your family troubles with heath and insurance although it has nothing to do with my post. I have empathy for them. I’m not your adversary. Your cliff notes about my choices are rude and fill of assumptions though I deleted my post as I don’t want to trigger negativity. Being happy is a good choice but it takes practice. The OP is about financial growth for what it’s worth and if you’d read my post you’d know my truck was actually a great truck. your parents dilemma is not my journey so please refrain from making that comparison. I’ll refrain from voicing an opinion about your families story as I don’t know you folks. As to luck I’m not gambling here and investing 300 a month is quite different from saving 300 a month but never mind how I got there...it wasn't by being a "boomer" Good luck with your own plans.
Both @riverman and @Everything Beagle make valid points. There are cultural differences. In a country like Japan, which values frugality, people would be more inclined to save than in a country that values conspicuous consumption, where people would "die" without the right brand of cell phones and sneakers. We all know of celebrity athletes who made tens of millions of dollars and wind up broke because "the life" meant throwing money about. It is also true that of all the advanced capitalist countries the US has greatest income inequality and fewest social services. People are more likely to have medical debt and student debt. Low rates of unionization mean lower wages, especially in the South and among women. Throw in highest rate of unplanned pregnancy. A lot of people do work their asses off all their lives and barely make ends meet. Sometimes they don't meet at all. I was pretty frugal. Lived within income. But you know what really made me able to eventually buy a small house? After my mother died my father remarried. His second wife was a successful professional and her first husband had been a major Hollywood producer and a millionaire. When she and my father married they agreed to share expenses but each would provide for their own children. She predeceased him and to his surprise left him a shit ton of money. How much does a person pushing 90 need? He wasn't buying clothes and hot cars. When he died my siblings and I ended up with much more than we would have otherwise. Without that chance event I would probably still be a renter however frugal I was.
@crandc I could not have bought a home in a major urban center like the Bay Area. out of my budget completely. I bought land in the Sierras in 74 but those days are long gone. My oldest son got a small inheritance from my fathers trust when he passed away and put a down payment on a house in NW Arizona and he was born and raised in Cali. He couldn’t buy a house there either that he could afford which is why I mentioned living within your ways and means earlier I think it’s great when good people control property
I went to a soccer tournament at Delta Park last weekend to watch my grandson play for Eastside Timbers U13. I was shocked at how much it cost to belong their soccer club. $2500. per kid a year plus $600 for unis and fancy bags. Then there is per tourney cost that parents have to pay and it's all about tourney play. Same thing with my granddaughter that plays on a tourney traveling team U12. It really is a business for the coaches and leagues. Times have changed since I played Connie Mack farm ball in early sixties.
