Hey, everyone! This will be a short post. I'm experiencing some writer's obstacles this week. This happens occasionally, but I think it will happen frequently in the future. I have no motivation than ever because the final blog is within easy reach. That's OK, because I'm looking forward to a full retirement anyway. I was lucky enough to retire at 40 and lasted for so long. Anyway…
Generation X is the last lucky generation
Generation X is often defined as individuals born between 1965 and 1980. This puts us in the baby boomers and millennials. We were born at the right time and avoided many social problems. Let's go through some of them. I think Gen X is lucky.
- We didn't have the internet when we were kids. We were bored and had to entertain ourselves. We ran around with friends, went to the mall, played games on the arcade, bowled, watched MTV, and interacted with other people IRLs. Nowadays, everything is online. Social media is the scourge of humanity. It's a total waste of time and people are very concerned about these apps. I'm glad we grew up without the internet.
- When we were old there was no major war. Generation X was born in the Vietnam War too late. At that time, there were no drafts, so if we didn't want to, Gen X wouldn't have to join the army. When we grew up, the Cold War was huge, but it was ideological. We don't have to fight the Soviet Union or anything else. There was the Gulf War in 1990, but that was limited. The Afghan War (2001-2021) was long, but it had little impact on American civilians at home. Millennials are the majority of waiters deployed to Afghanistan.
- Higher education is more affordable. Colleges seemed expensive when we were young, but the cost of higher education is now crazy. Parents and students will pay $120,000 to $250,000 for a four-year degree. How many of us have saved a lot of money for higher education?
- More entry-level Work. I just went on a trip to visit my brother and old college buddies. They all did a great job. Most of us have found good entry-level jobs and have a good career. My youngest brother had a tough time though. He graduated after graduating from Dot Com Bust. Millennials are having a hard time getting along with DOT COM and the 2008 financial crisis. These are challenging times for everyone, but I think the Gen X experience is very good. Today, life for new college graduates is even harder. It seems that the company is hiring fewer entry-level employees and trying to offload more work to AI. The recent rise in unemployment among graduates has reached its highest level since 2013.
- The house is more affordable. I married Mrs. RB40 in 1999 and bought a brand new house in 2000. This is a 2,000 sq. ft., 3 bed/2.5 bathroom home in Hillsboro near Intel. Price is just under $200,000. Mortgage rates are high, though. I think it was about 8% then. However, interest rates fell and we refinancing. I just checked Zillow and now that house is worth about $600,000. wtf! We should be staying there, not moving to Portland. Nowadays, housing is much more expensive than when we were younger.
- Excellent stock market returns. The past 30 years have been very important to the stock market. Of course, we have Dot Com Bubble, the Financial Crisis, and Covid. However, the stock market has made huge gains over the past 30 years. In 1995, a $100 investment was made on the 1995 S&P 500, which is worth about $2,200 in 2025. This is so amazing. Generation X should take advantage of the stock market and invest as much as possible over the past 30 years.
- We have great movies and music. I love music from the 80s. We have Michael Jackson, Queen, U2, Police, Gun Rose and more great bands. Contemporary music? Not a huge fan. Although, Bruno Mars is fine. The movie is better, IMO.
- Dating is better. Dating and finding a long-term partner seems difficult today. What do I know? I've been married for 26 years. Reddit maintains a solid diet for me, and these people complain about dating. It seems that dating apps make it difficult for men to find a good partner. In the 90s and 2000s, dating seemed more real. Women did not ghost because there was no good reason.
OK, that's what I got today. Can you share your life experience in the comments section? Which generation are you and do you think this generation is lucky?
Image source: AI overlord
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Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects all over the United States, so check it out!
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