2 million dollars????

[akrvbob]

I guess the question come down to what does it mean to make a "LIVING"?

For me, being a wage slave isn't making a "living: it's making a very pretty and pleasant prison while "dying" inside.

But, for the great majority it's all they know and all they can imagine, so it seems great to them. They wouldn't even consider anything else.

To each his own.
Bob

 

[jeanontheroad]

I guess it depends on where you are in life. Right now, it is DH and me and we can cut back where we please. 35 years ago, we could have cut back for ourselves instead living as we did. Still, there was savings for college, summer camp, braces and crowns to replace broken teeth, instruments and uniforms for band, and a hundred other things that we wanted for our son and we're willing to do what it took to give him.

 

[Seraphim]

Not everything is one extreme or the other, Bob. One - or two - can work at careers until, living frugally, they've saved enough to retire early, while raising a loving family. It's possible to have it all.

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Maybe not all, but enough of both worlds to be satisfying...

 

[Bluewing]

For my wife and I the thing that holds us back is the continued expense of university for our oldest daughter(2 more years) and our 18 yr old. We want to try to limit their student debt so they have a chance at a middle class life. I think middle class lifestyles are becoming more difficult

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I no longer expect or even want a retirement of travelling the world or luxury hotels. I enjoy solitude in places of natural beauty and occasional good company. We have had travel trailers before and enjoy having only a couple of hundred square feet of living space to keep clean and tidy. The thing that is scary is the idea of doing it full time. We have never done more than 2weeks at a time!

 

[Kevin H]

$50K per year. Sheesh. If I had that coming in I would be living good and BUILDING a terrific nest egg.

 

[caseyc]

How does one become a millionaire nowadays? Start off as a multimillionaire...duh!

 

[Seraphim]

Having a seven figure portfolio for the average person is something that needs to be started when one is young - prior to thirty. A constant putting awa of money in boring, low cost term investments - generally total stock equity funds: with no FA. At least, not for long.

Bluewing - if you have kids in college it's too late to start such a plan. If you plan to retire in less than five years, it's not the time to invest in the market. Save, yes. Bonds, sure. Even an annuity to provide income over a long period of time. Not stocks, though.

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How does one become a millionaire nowadays? Start off as a multimillionaire...duh!

That's cheating and doing it the easy way lol

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Above should have read 'low cost long term investments'

 

[akrvbob]

The question everyone needs to ask themselves is:

"Do I really want a middle-class lifestyle?
Is it the best thing for my children?"

There is no right or wrong answer and the answer will be different for everybody (although the great majority will answer yes, they want a middle-class lifestyle). But I think it is very important to ask the question and be aware that their are alternatives. The whole point of this website is to make people aware that there are choices.
Bob

 

[jeanontheroad]

I wonder if we all are all talking about the same thing when we talk about a middle class lifestyle. Is it just about a certain amount on money (how much)? Or is it the way you spend that money? We raised our son in a more modest house than many of his friends, but we paid a lot of attention to the schools when we bought. We didn't buy him expensive designer clothes and priceyvtoys, but we paid for some expensive uninsured cosmetic dental work when he ran his sled face first into a railroad tie. We didn't get a big allowance or a fancy car, but we paid for his first 2 years of college b4 he dropped out.

So, when someone talks about a middle class life, what are they talking about?

 

[jeanontheroad]

Should be: HE didn't get a big allowance .....