Struggling Millennial homeowner: I didn't need my degree
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- Опубліковано 18 січ 2024
- With higher costs of living and mounting student loans, many Millennials are struggling in this "good" economy. CNN's Alisyn Camerota sat down with two Millennial families who say they're reconsidering what the "American Dream" means.
In a CNN poll conducted last month, a stunning 71% of Americans said economic conditions in the country were “poor,” with 38% calling them “very poor.” And that’s somehow better than in the summer of 2022, when 82% said the economy was poor, as CNN's Allison Morrow writes. Read more here: cnn.it/490NHdO
Produced by Deborah Brunswick, Matthew Friedman, and John General
Supervising Producer: Logan Whiteside
#cnn #news #economy
Leave it to corporate media to interview people "struggling" in the four bedroom three bath house they were able to buy.
Great point 😆
😂😂 thats why the homeless population is screwed bc the definition of poverty is not even realistic
I love how they imagine middle class being able to take weekend vacations and fine dining and I'm thinking it's middle class to be able to afford necessities and simple experiences like the zoo or a play or carnivals.
@@kaelahendricks6039 Spot on!
Stop bullying your coworkers family friends for having OCD. Do not violently assault people for illness of the mind. They deserve medical treatment as much as anyone! Stop the stigma !
For me, my BS in chemical engineering allowed me to move from lower middle class to upper middle class. College degrees can make a big difference if you select the right major.
Yes! Select the right major.
I must also add that I went to a public university in my state. I did take student loans, but they were kept to a minimum by this choice, working summers and working hard to keep my grades up which led to a full tuition scholarship. I also had offers to pay 100% of a masters degree if I had chosen that route. I still believe in the American dream if you choose wisely.
Definitely. It's all about understanding your career path.
Ima community organizer.
My communities are getting worse bc of racism
Birthing ppl
Trans rights
Patriarchal injustice.
Educated
@@JB-lp9xrI have a queen studies degree..
U are racist.
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I can’t tell you how many times I told friends not to take out loans for graduate degrees. I finished my masters with zero debt now I’m in a fully funded PhD program. I will never take out a loan for school.
Thank you. Scholarships for undergrad and grad so far and absolutely no student debt
Yes! I worked for Sallie Mae and saw firsthand how student loans affect people. None of my children started their independent life out with accumulated debt.
3400 per month mortgage. They bought too much house and weren’t ready. On top of that, they had a lot of debt to begin with. Gotta be smart about financial decisions.
They probably just live in an expensive area and don't make enough to live there. Their home doesn't look huge. The first guy pays $500 a month just for the HOA. That's almost as much as my mortgage.
When they mentioned poverty I laughed out loud. They are not impoverished they're idiots living beyond their means.
yes just wasn't smart decision - they may have needed to buy something smaller or move to another place for a 1200 month mortgage for example
💯💯💯💯💯
@@reefreptile My grandfather used to call it Caviar taste on a Peanut Butter and Jelly Salary!! :)
The only reason that couple felt like they were lower middle class is that they're trying to live like the upper middle class.
Some people do that and deserve it. But you can't assume that's what this family is doing. Have a little empathy
@@gabedarrett1301 I made no such assumption. They clearly bought a house they couldn't afford and seem to enjoy quite a few luxuries.
Look at his face. He obviously did not agree.
@@secretsquirrel6718 I didn't say he enjoyed paying for those luxuries, but they're far from lower middle class.
@@stephenhawkingsfootballboo7885 I didn't say you said that.
I just said he didn't agree with his wife when she did.
What video did you watch?
People look down on trades jobs but my extended family for the last 4 generations has been able to avoid the student loan trap. We don't live like the upper class and we are in a much lower housing cost area than this couple. For us, having the income of an electrician and a heavy equip operator has kept the family clothed and fed and housed for 40 years.
While I fully support trade school as an option, it is also not a good fix long term. We are already having a shortage in healthcare from all levels. If very few people go to college, we will not have enough workforce in healthcare 10 years from now to support boomers, older gen x and millennials.
Exactly my father was a plumber foreman in the 70s until he retired and made more money than people with college degrees.im a merchant mariner and making more money than people with degrees today why get caught up in student loan debt
As long as they don't major in gender studies.
And they are the backbone of America too. Blue collar workers don't get the recognition they deserve.
I am in the tech space.
@@okigi-wo5zm Dude, that's a nonsense talking point, only a small portion of people graduate in gender studies and many go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.
Despite that degree, they don't appear educated enough to live well below their means and make better financial decisions.
exactly, just greed and no common sense
Why did they buy such a giant house? I don’t get it. The size of their dining room table is absurd. A family of 3 or 4 doesn’t need all that space. They did this to themselves.
Yea similar thoughts here. The house looks... grand. For 2 adults and an infant...$3400... but you're down to your last $400? They need an apartment. These are not sound decisions and it detracts from the reporting's message/point here.
Exactly. The real story here is, "people living absurdly among their means, and blaming the system...."
They want to keep up with the Joneses. A lot of Americans just want to live off of debt and want that shiny new Yukon in the driveway. And the wife wants a Grand Cherokee too Don't forget that.
That might be the kind of shit you have to wait until you're an empty nester to own but nope too many Americans want to live for the moment and then complain and then LARP as being some hardscrabble working class lunch pail people when in reality they probably spend 60 bucks a day on lunch and 20 to 30 a day for their daily Starbucks fix.
I have a hard time having a lot of sympathy for these kind of people because I actually do live within my means and I grew up very poor so I'm very thankful to have even what I have.
I grew up on EBT and WIC raised by a single mother.
I ended up doing 7 years in prison and I came home and got my commercial driver's license and now drive a truck which I've been doing almost 3 years now and I've saved up a down payment for a home.
I know the market is a mess right now so I just re-upped for another year at my apartment and I'm going to plan my next step wisely.
I was itching to get a new mustang but for the time being im content driving my 2013 Malibu that's still runs great.
Another thing is a lot of Americans think they're too good to get into some sort of trade. The trades paid very well and actually better than ever because nobody wants to do them.
Everybody wants to be some sort of creative, or project manager, etc.
Everyone acts like it would be shameful to be a plumber, electrician, Carpenter, etc.
I know a lot of guys like that who have etched out a nice little life for themselves. Even ladies who went and got their plumbing certifications and are making in the '70s and '80s a year to start.
Right they could get a two bedroom apartment for half maybe even a third of the price. Just live like that for a little while until they catch up on their debt. They could both have moderately new cars maybe a couple years old.
Live comfortable probably go on vacations still and you wouldn't even have to live in a bad neighborhood.
But nope they got to have it now before they're probably even in their 30s.
I know so many people who went to college and complain about their college debt and how they're not making enough money for all their effort but still somehow go on several thousand dollar vacations every year and have maybe 1 to 2-year-old SUVs in the driveway and designer purses.
Right!?! I have a 1,000 sq foot 1920’s craftsman and we have 2 adults a kiddo and a Newfoundland, a Shih Tzu and a cat. Their house is alot of house for who is there!
So researching their house they got it in 4/2022 so right in the height of insane mortgage rates, the house was listed for $499,000 and they purchased it for $553,000. So they offered $54,000 over asking price with a insane interest rate. It’s a 4 bedroom 3 bath 2,205 sq foot house with a semi finished basement, big deck with a hot tub. They really needed all this house for 2 people at the time and to offer 54k over asking…. They put them selves in this position 100%!
Lower middle class😅
@@secretsquirrel6718yeah no kidding! This make me low lower class if they think they are lower middle class with my 1000sq foot 1920’s craftsman lol
Thanks for researching it. They seem a bit clueless about managing their finances.
@@chessdad182this is what I love to do. Research and call people out on their bs
You really dug deep for this one 😂😭🤣....but I gotta give it to ya, you make a valid point.
He wasn’t thrown into any hole. He jumped into the hole.
Can't complain about money when you're 2 adults and baby living with a $3400/month mortgage. You chose a large house, you chose to have a kid, you chose to live beyond your means, you did it to yourself.
HOW DARE YOU!
Perfect example of what is called, living beyond your means.
The issue is when you have children you can't live in just any neighbor. I have children and due to wanting my children in a better school I rent an apartment in the neighborhood. Luckily my rent is only $1,800 which I can afford. If I were to try to buy a house in this neighborhood my payments would be $3,400 as well. At least they are building equity though and as long as they're getting yearly raises at some point they'll probably end up fine.
This is what the elites want you to think
You seemed to have missed the entire point of this video. Did you watch it? The point is, millennials were told the same thing as previous generations: go to college. Who cares if you get student loan debt? The job you'll get after getting out will make it worth it. Reality is saying otherwise.
You ignored that ENTIRE storyline to come up with your own conclusion! That takes talent!
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403Everyone is continuously bombarded with everyone else's thoughts on just about everything everyday. So what? That doesn't absolve people of their responsibility to use the grey matter between their ears. The "but they told me" excuse was played out even when it was brand new. It translates to "I'm a lemming. I didn't think. Well if these aren't the consequences of my own decisions."
@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403do you really believe this? Common sense. Saying "go to college and you'll be successful" is the same tune as saying "get a job and you'll be rich". Would you believe the latter? If so I've got prime beach front property in Kansas to sell you 😅 if you can't figure out all degrees are not the same and don't know how to Google, then don't take debt at 17. I was a poor first gen American, now I'm 29, earn $120k, no debt, work from home. My bachelor's in engineering, which I googled before I selected it, was the reason why I'm not poor anymore.
I see the problem: $3,400 monthly mortgage payments. Live within your means. If you can’t afford a big expensive house, don’t get one.
exactly
@@tonyp314 I agree however if you can see the video the house is well above what a family of 2 adults and an infant requires. I do believe they would be able to find somewhere not paying $3400 a month. Most people can't afford that.
@@tonyp314I live in Southern California. When my wife and I decided to buy a house 5yrs ago, we opted for a cozy 3-bedroom house. Since both of us work, we qualified for a much bigger and more expensive house. However, we didn’t want to pour most of our budget into the mortgage. We preferred to have a cushion for occasional dining out and family vacations so we went with a smaller affordable house.
@@tonyp314it’s a $553,000 4 bedroom 3 bath. 2,000+ sq foot house. They got way more then they needed. They also offered 53k over the asking price
Exactly, I make 250k and my mortgage is 3,200. And I live 30 mins away from NYC. BE DISCIPLINED PEOPLE. Stay with in your means and get an education in a hard field and not basket weaving.
Middle-class has never been able to go out to dinner whenever they want.
Such an odd thing to say, right? Like I feel I grew up middle class-ish and my mom was always like, WE HAVE FOOD AT HOME. It was a treat to eat out.
That’s was maybe 1965
Who wants to eat out anyway? It is unhealthy and not only that too many crazy people in the world. Everywhere in the US you are bound to meet someone unhinged or someone looking for trouble and problems. If it is not the other customers, it is the employees themselves. Everybody in the US is toxic and mentally ill. I wouldn't eat out even if I am a millionaire.
Yeah middle class living in the house they can't afford and having bunch of kids they can't afford, of course they can't go out to eat
British guy here. I always got the impression that you could in the US. Which to me shows how much people live on debt
They thought the dream house should be the first house which was a mistake. We lived in an 850 sq ft house with our son for years just fine, since we came from a 500 sq ft apartment in San Francisco when our kid was born. We may never live in a 2000 sq ft house but that not even close to being a worry for us.
That's one of the big differences with young people today. They feel they should be entitled to a certain standard of living immediately after completing their degrees. In their defense though new construction of the traditional "starter" home really doesn't exist in most markets anymore and supply on the resale side is often snapped up by investors. I do agree though, they are basically just looking at things without being realistic and taking into consideration how compromises, saving, and moving slowly up the ladder are required. Gen X reached adulthood with a much greater understanding of all that. It's life, not a hayride.
Unfortunately, going to college and then working at a nonprofit, as both of these cases have done, has never been a great path to financial security.
apparently they failed the reading and comprehension part of school because non profit is literally in the name lol.
it depends what job though; although im surprised because the underwriter should make decent amount 6 figure plus but that $3k mortgage is a killer, they should not have gotten a new house like that.
@@Big-Government-Is-The-Problem some non-profits pay pretty hefty 6-7 figure salaries to their executives. Look it up.
@@RobertEmeryyou said the key thing
...to their EXECUTIVES, which I would guess they are not, considering they are relatively young.
A job reading memos at CNN would have paid more as long as you stick to the script whether its true or not.
I'm confused: how do people who have kitchen islands, shiny new stainless steel appliances, ceiling cannon lighting... plead/see themselves as less than middle class???
I did not know a kitchen island was anything special
@@surlespasdondine - It does not come standard. It is extra. A luxury
Brand new might I add
Exactly. Most people who truly are struggling to pay their bills live in older homes that don't even have room for an island. If you're in a newer home with a kitchen island and having a hard time financially, odds are you're living above means.
It has never cost this much to have 1 house and 1 child in terms of average salary % and hours of payed labor that go into the mortgage.
So I lived in a trailer park and drove a beater so that I could get my student loan paid off. Look at these people, and how they live! I don’t feel sorry for them.
As an immigrant he is right, we are told to have the American dream you need to go to college. I did just that,got the career and it sucked. 7 years in, I decided I o figure out how to make my own money by taking risk. I quit my job, now I own two businesses with my husband and we go to work when we want, wake up when we want and travel when we want.
How can you have a $3k mortgage payment and claim that you’re lower middle class? WTF.
Exactly!!!!! She may not in upper middle class, but definitely not lower middle class.
This IS middle class today. That's the problem.
exactly...and most boomers did not have first houses that were that huge and that nice...sorry she has a bit of entitlement and thats her first problem
Assuming 3k is mortgage, their income should be multiplied by 3. That's 9k give or take a month. Minus 20% off the bat for taxes. That's $7200. Minus 3k in mortgage =$4,200. Now minus 2 to 3 car payments at $750ea. & minus $140 for insurance ea. ($2,670) you're left with = $1,530 . -$500 on food = $1,000 .
$200 for gas ea car ($600)= $400 left.
You still need phone bills, car expenses, cc payments etc.. it's definitely lower middle class
With no savings and a mere $500 left monthly after bills, their combined income of under $100,000 places them squarely in the lower middle class, despite being a dual-income family.
Would have been interesting to see they film an actually struggling family. There are plenty of them out there.
If we could get our politicians to do an ‘Undercover Boss’ series, that would be great. Just so they would understand reality instead of swallowing whatever lobbyists throw at them.
Right. CNN idea of a struggling family is people who's mortgage is more than an actual struggling families whole monthly income.
Those people can't afford a $4,000 a month mortgage and addition to having a couple new cars, probably going on vacations every year, and getting new outfits every couple months.
I really hate what the upper middle class's idea of a struggling family is.
I grew up legit poor in Metro Detroit and have lived in motels and two homeless shelters with my mom and siblings.
We depended on churches for a couple years for Christmas presents, and for Xmas and Thanksgiving dinners.
There are millions of people like that out there interview those kind of people.
Not people whose car payment for one SUV is more than people I know rent.
Christ these people don't even know what middle class is. That home is very middle class and they think their borderline working-class people.
Motherfuckers don't even know what class they're in.
I hate when I see a couple that both have new Teslas and they have a half million dollar home in a gated community call themselves middle class lol.
That last part I'm not even necessarily talking about these people but I've known people like that who have a household income of 250k and think they're just hard scrabble working-class people.
The kind of people who Starbucks budget is what an actual working-class families rent would be.
How does having children when you can't afford one help?
Exactly!
$3400/month mortgage? My husband and I make 360k combined and $1700/month is the most we are willing to take on. They can double their income and still be broke because they spend every penny they have.
A BA in history from State U. didn't lead to wealth? Shocking, just shocking!
Why do these people have a $3400 mortgage payment? They are largely where they are because of their desires. They want more than they can pay for.
So many costly decisions at one time. After buying a house they can't afford, they start a family and wonder why they are broke?
They want a house where they can feel safe. These people are entitled to that. A house is a house, at least they own it. It comes with being in a safe place. More valuable than living in some run down part of town.
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@@ecclairmayo4153 exactly very expensive choices, having a kid is very very expensive, I hope they won't get a dog as well with the cost of that and vets bills
As a truck driver myself making 85K+ a year with $0 student debt, i'm just sitting here shaking my head in disbelief
Me and you both brother. But we're just some lowly truck drivers.
People like this think it's shameful to do a job where you don't wear a suit and tie and you might sweat a little bit.
You would rather go to school for 4 years and owe hundreds of thousands of dollars and also have several thousand dollar mortgages.
And need to have brand new SUVs and $500 a month Starbucks budgets before they're even 30.
Forget the $5,000 vacations every year so people on social media can see they're doing well.
@@TYBG85lowly? Aw hell no. Y’all keep it going. Love to see trucks rolling.
Wife & I both College Grads. Never made more than 60K each. Were 53yrold. We both drive Semi fuel truck delivering fuel to gas stations. Each make around 100K. Yeah, so there's that...
wish i was you. i had $15k of my own money saved from summer jobs when i graduated highschool and i wish i had just kept working and saving. college was the biggest mistake of my life... drowning in debt. its hopeless and crippiling.
@@first-last-null not my truck☝️& 85K+ Net profit/take home after taxes
$3400 mortgage payment? There has to be some accountability.
and a kid too
It's good to see someone acknowledge what Millennials are actually going through instead of making wild, baseless assumptions
Never move where there’s a home owner association.
Many people are ignorant on that. They see shiny house and get it. Our neighbours HOA jumped from 90 to 300 and now to 800 per month in few years!
Preach!
Kinda hard to avoid in an urban area unless you want to rent forever.
@@darlingcorinne someone always has an excuse. Don’t live in that particular urban area. There are other urban areas. Move one town over. Move to a lower class area. Move to the country and work on a farm. Or stay where you are and pay people to tell you what to do with your property while giving you nothing more than a community mailbox and a playground.
Hoa's can be useful sometimes. It can keep those types that want to build a deck that is twice as big as their house, or put up an above ground pool without any consideration of what would happen if that pool ruptured and flooded your basement, etc. They do run pricy though, agreed.
People are buying and financing the most expensive things so they look successful and then being surprised it actually costs real money and not a dream to have it.
Loan interest car loans so that poor people are driving BMWs
People need to look at the 1200 square foot house instead of the 2500 square foot home. Start to differentiate between want and needs.. Be appreciative of what you do have ! The time to keep up with the Jones’s is over.
My mom has this saying. "Don't be house poor" Which unfortunately that couple is. Living just to pay off their mortgage, daycare and other monthly costs. We live in a society where wages have not kept pace with cost of living. Until that changes (probably never), you truly have live within your means and stop chasing these ideals of what we are supposed to have at a certain age.
The first guy is not even trying enough. 100 applications in a year is nothing. Also lives beyond his means with that house.
Right! I've submitted 100 applications in less than a month.
Don’t blame economy on purchasing an overpriced home during the biggest buddle in History
And a Charger in the driveway, a brand new baby and a large dog. All of this and they havent paid off their student loans yet, but they buy a more than half million dollar house and wrap it in Christmas lights even though they have less than $400 in their bank account..like they have extra money on utilities or something 😐
They need to buy a house, so they’re kids can live somewhere, and they’re in a safe environment, where they don’t get robbed or killed. An investment in safety is still a sound investment.
Exactly! And failing to plan for interest rate rises!
@@markushaahr9194 And that is what makes them middle class. Some of us raised our kids living in apartments in bad neighborhoods because it was all we could afford and did not spend money we didn't have.
@@markushaahr9194Need to buy a house? No, apartments exist. Definitely not a need, I grew up in apartments and felt safer actually since it’s so locked down and there are people all around in such a tight building.
Struggling Millennial homeowner: I got a worthless degree and found out the hard way that it is not the 1960s anymore and just having any old degree is enough. You now need a degree that actually prepares you for specific careers/jobs.
Truth. It has always been that way
@@ricksanchezsflask8794 Not really..until the 70s or 80s, you COULD get a philosophy degree and still get a decent professional job. Maybe not a GREAT one, but more than enough to take care of yourself. Employers didn't have 995 of their applicants with degrees back then, so having any showed you at least tried beyond high school. But now? Nope. Your degree better have a specific job associated with it. Or it won't matter how far you go. A Ph. D in a liberal arts major won't get you shit but $300,000 in student loans. But you can go to a community college for a smartly chosen Associate in Science Degree and be able to pay off any loans you might have within 2 years with a good job you will get.
One needs to adapt and overcome. Destroy the economy, and take advantage of it. Make penny from whatever thing you can. Key word is save though.
@@ricksanchezsflask8794meh, in post ww2 you could leave the army, become a trucker, and buy a house for 4 kids and a wife. Without a degree. In the 60s, you could get a degree in Shakespeare and get a job at a factory.
no degree prepares you
At their age (way back in the late '70s), my wife and I and our baby girl lived in a two bedroom, one bath, 50 year old rancher with a 7% mortgage, working two jobs, driving two 10-year old cars, with a night out once every two weeks at a pizza parlor. It took me 7 years to get a 4 year degree, and my wife 5 years to get a 2 year degree, both of which we got while working full time and mostly by paying out of pocket (no school debt upon graduation). We were the first in both our families to even dream of going to college. We thought we were living the American middle class dream, and were grateful for having as much as we had. I don't get it.
I got a degree in Poetry for 400K, had a child and bought a 1/2 million home with a hot tub while making Tic Tick videos and I just can't make it!! Can someone please help me?
I'm generation X and retired, here's my advice. I studied my ass off in high school and graduated at the top of my class. I did extremely well on my SAT. I graduated from a top 20 college with a degree in accounting. If I had to do it all over again, I would've skipped college and learned a trade - electrician, plumber, welder, et cetera. The kids who graduated dead last in high school and learned trades actually ended up wealthier than the kids who went to college.
its always looking back this looking back that. our parents did the same thing to us. doesnt work well now. main reason is cause change is happening too fast
Except after 25 years their bodies are broken, with 25 years left to work. My advice is to learn a trade, then get a degree in something management related. Business, organizational leadership, communication, or psychology. This way you transition into management, quality assurance, safety, or some other industrial office position as someone with floor-level experience. I make 37.00/hr in the south, but my supervisors are making 50.00/hr, with a moderate amount of overtime on top of that. I'll be starting a master's program this summer for that reason. I just wish I had done it earlier.
@@user-xp1hn3gi7qmost tradesmen I know are way more fit than the office folk, they look bloated and sweaty every time we go out.
@@user-xp1hn3gi7qvery true. I knew a mechanic that dealt with injuries and body pain already in his 20s. Salary was only 50k
I've seen that too, but also I've seen plenty of folks in trades who burn through their cash as soon as they get it. Making money is one thing. Holding on to it is another.
Not buying a probably $ 600-800K ( or more . . ) home would have solved their $ 3600 mortgage payment "problem".
OK Boomer. Find a reasonably priced house for them then.
I had to stop when I heard that. JFC
That home purchase was not wise.
But I guess what were their options - Just rent and hope the housing bubble popped at an opportune time?
Yea, not sure where they live, but two stories, it does look bigger than what two people and a baby or two need...
You know a 600,000 mortage would be around 6,300 a month they didn’t put houses that cost at much. The average house cost 400k these people look like the took out a 320k loan and that’s the payments with the mortage rates so high. Not everyone can buy a 900k house or would even come close to qualifying
@@jaypaul386if someone is spending that much on a house, you know the pricing is way out of line.
I graduated high school with a 4+ gpa and a 30+ ACT score. Instead of going to an expensive Top-tier college, I applied for a bunch of scholarships and went for free to my in-state university. I only had to take out loans for my medical degree, and even that was discounted because of scholarships and in-status.
No one should ever go private or out-of-state for college unless they have a scholarship. College can be free if you're willing to put in the work.
When my husband and I had one child, we lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. We didn’t buy our 1800sq ft townhouse until we had 2 kids and saved up for a few years. We bought 4 years ago. Now we have 3 kids and one on the way( we are religious) , we looked into a larger home, ran numbers and thought: nope! We will stay here until we have more money saved or interest rates go down. Getting into a large mortgage just doesn’t make sense. Our home is still comfortable and our children never go without. We have a lot of disposable income for extras and I truly believe it’s because we have no car debt, no consumer debt and a low mortgage. We also live right outside a major city. I’m always curious about people with super small families buying these large homes…..
you would have more money with no kids
They do not have to live in a house for $3400 a month. They could live in a nice condo/apt for $1500
Not where they live.
@@jenni8982then move.
How dare you believe she could live in a house with only one bathroom or a kitchenette
In a poorer part of town, where it’s more dangerous. Thus, not worth it.
why would you live in an apartment and pay rent to someone when you could be builidng equity for yourself.
The first guy is living in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife and a beautiful baby. Poor guy.
And he feels like he's not getting a break anywhere, ridiculous !
They are also paying 3500 a month for that house.
@@nedflanders5649 Yeah, its a lot, relatively speaking. But overall I am not holding telethon for him.
Not American, but we are living in a nice apartment, but would dream to have a house like that one day.
@@dimitarmargaritovyeah, but it’s like made of paper machetes. It’s literally falls over with the wind.
why the push back on community college? SO MUCH CHEAPER
Poor choice of degrees along with poor budgeting and living beyond means. Having a degree doesn’t mean you automatically can afford whatever you want. Colleges are money making businesses; of course they said you would be successful. I am surprised people didn’t know this.
It’s time to hold the colleges accountable. They are selling worthless degrees with no accountability. THAT needs to stop. Harvard has $55 Billion in the bank. Cash. They’ve reduced the value of their degrees but still increasing their endowment.
Amen!
Way past time. It always amazes me how people will attack the person who got scammed by the college instead of attacking the college who scammed them.
In my book, both are liable. When I didn't really know what I wanted, I left school. Family lost their absolute shit. Why pay for a piece of paper if there's nothing behind it? The degrees should be available but nobody should be looking at them as meal tickets.
Harvard is FREE for those with limited resources! By the way, if one goes to college and major in a subject that doesn't pay well, one should not complain!
As much as I’d like colleges to lower their prices, I also don’t want to give up on capitalism so it looks like colleges stay.
When you own a house, you don’t just pay the mortgage. You pay for the land itself in property taxes and water bills from the state. That’s on top of the essential bills you pay for and groceries.
True. My actual mortgage payment is only 1/7 of what I pay each month for a bundle of mortgage + interest + homeowners insurance + property taxes. On top of that payment is paying water/trash, gas/heat, energy/power.
Duh. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I know most CNN viewers are clueless and you just confirmed that.
The property taxes are paid through the mortgage. Water isn’t part of the land, it’s a public service (unless you have a well).
@ColinPMcEvoy my property taxes aren't paid through my mortgage. I get a bill in the summer and winter for them.
don't forget repairs/maintenance on the house
It's not degree, it's companies hiring cheap labor coming to US as student and then take US jobs!!
If they own their home, they are NOT struggling millennials.
They live in a 3400 monthly mortgage and complaining 😂
Some places that’s a 1200sq foot home. Just because it’s $3400 doesn’t mean anything. they also probably didn’t put down 20% which just drives the monthly payment up + PMI.
Yea it’s probably a mini mansion with a pool.
They bought too much house.
The point is- this used to be average. This used to be attainable and NOT 3,400 a month. The quality of life is slipping hard and quickly
Yea sounds like an unwise decision buying that house
"We don't have that luxury" she says from within her big house alongside her husband and child. Wow.
yup. disgusting.
I think that’s the point. They look like they have everything on the outside but they actually don’t. They can’t afford to live if one of them loses their job. That means no emergency fund. Big house doesn’t equal financial maturity and responsibility. It just means you have a big house…..
Yeah. 1 child. It’s shameful. An American should have at least 3 children. How can people be ok with this. This is going to be a collapse not so far from now. Weak generations not raising kids.
They should have done this with a minority. Banks are making the most money from us with the interest when it comes to student loans. This family here is doing fine.
@@MsStephnicole Most Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck and it's been that way for years now
Certainly housing and education have become insanely expensive, but the expectations younger Americans have are totally unrealistic. My boomer parents lived very simply when they had young children. We took one vacation per year-camping or staying with family. We certainly never went anywhere on a plane! Our house was small and simple. Furniture was hand me down, it never occurred to my parents to rip out the kitchen and redo it! Yet $40k weddings, expensive trips, and home renovations seem normal to people today. It’s time to rethink the way we’re living. No previous generations lived the way people seem to feel entitled to live these days.
I applied to 400 jobs between 2017-18 and had many interviews. I finally got something then rapidly doubled my income. I had been a stay-at-home mom and had a big gap. 100 isn’t nearly enough.
How in the world could those two with the baby didn’t see $3,400 a month mortgage payment as a potentially stupid thing to do is astonishing. I get people struggle but they put themselves in that situation. Sell the house, get a 2 bedroom apartment and save. Just borderline moronic to live that way and feel you have the right to complain about it.
Exactly, people make their own beds and then cry about it. I made my own bed plenty of times through life, luckily I got smarter in my 50s and now debt free, retired and investing money.
have you check the price of a 2 bedroom apartment in a decent area these days?
People live beyond their means.
@@jimmyboard Bare minimum...LOL 😂
@@darickfoxo7986 I live in Columbus Ohio and a decent 2 bedroom apartment here is far less than half of that.
The problem is how easier it is to lose everything in America. Despite hard work everything can be taken away. Through no fault of our own.
YOU HIT IT PERFECTLY. Agreed!
Everything can be taken away quicker in every other country in the world.
It has always been this way, unfortunately that is a feature of the system not a bug
It is their fault, they are just too entitled, lavish spenders vis a vis income and debt load, the house too big, gadgets everywhere and who knows what else.....
Read a history book, please! Past generations had it far worse. How many people today could have survived the great depression? Stop giving yourself a pity party. It's the first step many people take into failure.
This is why it's so important to have carer days in high school and have an idea on what type of job you will want in the future. If you don't align your college career with your employment goals then your time and money was wasted.
I am old. We bought a very small “started” home and never ate out. Then we bought a better home and rarely ate out. Vacations were for the wealthy. We save and paid off the mortgage. People really believe they ought to be able to live like entertainers and sports figures and very wealthy folks. My generation knew it takes time and starting small, not a home with an HOA over $400 a month.
The so called 'American Dream' has changed. Do what works for you. Only buy a house when you can afford it.
Thanks biden🤪
@@mhall801genocide joe
Housing isn't exactly discretionary spending
Duh! The problem is that 49.9% of the population has a below average IQ, but they expect better than average results!
You can never predict when you can afford anything anymore, not in the new US. You can lose everything no matter how good of decisions you make. Too much rapid and unpredictable change. Corrupt politicians, Rapid AI advances never thought possible, insane housing and interest rate hikes, and a job market that went from good to near impossible in a very short time.
Their mortgage payment is over 3,000. a month and they feel like they are below middle class??? The average median mortgage payment last year was just over 1,600. a month. Maybe the economy isn't the only problem here. The average person buys a house twice a big as there parents had also. The big fancy houses from our childhood is the average suburban house now.
You have to factor in interest rate and HOA. $1600 is not the average mortgage payment and car notes are as much as a house.
@halfwayempty 1600 is the average median mortgage payment. Sure it may be higher in places and lower in other. I'm just saying that house looked pretty nice and they said they don't feel like they are in middle class. That sure didn't look like a typical house of a family living below middle class.
Hey, they wanted a house big enough for the family they can't afford. Cuz logic.
They may have bought the house years ago. But, now with inflation, it eats up the money they have. We need more details to come to a conclusion. But, nevertheless. Economists say you need to make at least $120,000 to afford living.@@chrisquinn394
@@halfwayemptymost people don’t have HOA’s lol and with our internet rate we are under the $1600 for a 1000 sq foot 1920’s craftsman
Millennials affording homes? Haha, now that's hilarious.
These people think they are struggling when natives in reservations are living in shakes and with no water
Why are people shocked that they can't get rich with a history degree? Much of their struggles are on them. Demand for history majors has remained pretty constant throughout history at just over zero.
And he is a immigrant or son of one too. Shame on him
Stock market has gone up at record highs? CNN must be living in a different reality.
Should have trained to be a pharmacist.
Also, who works for a non-profit and then has nerve to complain that they're lower middle class. Altruistic jobs are honorable but should be pursued by folks who are past the building phase of life. Those jobs are better for folks who could retire if they wanted to.
Herodotus, the first known historian, claimed that the path to riches involved going to India and robbing giant man eating ants of their fortune.
Notably, he did not recommend that anyone become a historian.
My rock solid advice... avoid student loan debt. Second advice, find a job that appreciates your skill and its level of it. Work on getting certifications and trades. That even includes getting a CDL for example. Always go where you're skills appreciated. Companies will pay for your education and certification if they need it! Avoid any kind of debt besides car and a place to stay. Don't ever let anybody sell you a dream. That's my personal advice as a millennial.
I’m 73 and I approve this advice.
I joined the military (National Guard) to avoid student loan debt. Also got a high level security clearance out of it. I was able to get into the private defense sector after graduation and now make over a little over 150k in a MCOL area, less than an hour from my hometown. The best kept secret in the defense industry is that it’s cheaper for a company to hire and train you, than it is for them to sponsor a qualified person for a clearance.
I only just turned 25, and a few years ago I would have told you that I may have made a mistake going the route I did, but now I’m so glad I did. It was hard watching my HS friends enjoy themselves in college, but now they have to grapple with their debt, while I’ve been able to move on with my life.
Student loans are fine as long as you consider your salary post grad and have a plan to pay it. The problem is people taking out $150K in loans to get a degree that has no prospects. They're treating college as entertainment, not a means to an end.
@@yourwifesboyfriend6081 This is really excellent advice. My military service was invaluable in my career.
Well said .
I got an AA in business administration. Lifted me out of poverty once I graduated.
I’m literally 6 seconds in and saw the house, yeah poor financial decisions. I’m twice their age & have a modest house. Stop spending more than your means
3400 mortgage? Sheesh. They bought too high.
What kind of other house were they going to get. Rent? These houses shouldn’t have such ridiculous prices anyways.
If they didnt buy a house they'll be made to give the extra $$ to the IRS come 4/15. Houses are a great write off. Unfortunately corporations got together in 2020-2021 to outbid every potential buyer. A house went on the market, a buyer offered fill price the corporations would outbid them by 50-100k. Now they rent those homes for an outrageous amount. You're forced to buy more than you need, rent at an ungodly amount or pay the IRS bc you hv no write off. I think every bit of this was planned. It went like clock work. Covid, losing jobs, housing market was being taken over ( should hv been illegal) gas price increase causing food & merchandise to increase. Gas has gone down a bit but food /essentials didn't return to normal. It will get worse. I never see America being what it was. Opportunity to live in whatever style you chose. After marriage buying a house was just a given. Those days are gone.
House prices are crashing where I live. I am sure they are now underwater and will have to walk away from their home.
My kids went to community college first. Most teens don't know what they want to do. I wanted to go into medicine and academia,bwhich is what I did. However, everyone is different. It can take years to finally figure out what you want to do in life. I think community college helps with that, with out burdening young adults with student loans. I wish everyone success in their positive endeavors! Take care!🙂👋🏽👨🏽⚕️
I totally agree with you. My son is also coming to community college. It is so much cheaper. When he started he didn't know what to major in and I told him just do general studies. It took him about six months to decide what he wanted to major in after he started CC. Before he started he had thought about getting a trade but changed his mind. I think getting a trade is a good decision also. A lot of those jobs down here in lower Alabama pay really good. 😊
Yes this. My mom made me go that route and once I finished an associates degree I paid my own way for the higher levels
@@kjones8747 Nice! 😁👍🏽What did you study?
$540 a month for HOA dude are you insane? You might as well burn that money every month. You are getting NOTHING for it.
I never got a degree, no matter how many people tell me to go in debt to get one. I retired at 52, no debt.
I bought a house in Las Vegas back in 2011, 30 year mortgage. Paid it off in 9 1/2 years, made double payments, sometimes triple payments every month, I had to learn to do without things. It’s been a couple of years since the house was paid off now I have more money to invest. I financed it for 108,000k… now valued over 400,000k. You really don’t need a college degree to achieve your goals…
exactly you have to make sacrifices. I paid in more too. Paid off my mortgage. Chose a small property in the countryside with good public transport and cycling access. Never had kids because I never wanted them, I walk and cycle, don't have a car anymore. I love my life. My hobbies are simple and cheap
Correct, but your work ethic and mindset shows that with a college degree, you probably could have opened even more doors for yourself than those who are blaming the degree as if the degree was supposed to open doors for them. The degree never gets you the job, makes you rich, or teaches you much of anything that will be utilized on a day to day basis at any job. It is up to the individual to leverage the degree when they need a leg up - e.g. applying to the same role or promotion against a very comparable candidate who does not have a degree, or getting called for an interview for a managerial role vs another candidate who has the same experience but doesn't have the degree. The degree itself should never be expected to just earn you money. Just like getting a piece of paper that says 'yoga instructor certification' doesn't get you the job if you have 0 experience, have no interpersonal skills, or look totally out of shape.
$3,400 a month mortgage …
GET FUCKING REAL
😂 mine is less than half that and I could sell and make about $200K profit. I am considering buying an RV and getting rid of the house just because the future feels way too insecure to have even a $1600 mortgage like mine. Cash in the bank, investments, are more important because nothing is more important to me than having some cushioning should things go south. I’ve always been terrified of being homeless. Even more so now as I have children and the state of the economy is horrendous. The future has never been more uncertain. Banks OWN our houses til paid off and they can take them back any time they want! The government is pushing towards owning more houses than individuals do. Get real, people!!
Never thought I’d say this, but since becoming a new mom I decided I won’t be pushing my kid towards a 4 yr school either. It just seems crazy to saddle a teenager with that much debt as they’re entering adulthood.
Not only is that house above their means, but everything looks brand new furnished from Wayfair :).
Look at how big that house is. Seems like a case of living above means.
Compared to other houses in that town, they got a pretty good deal.
@@jenni8982 Fair point
Safety is safety. It’s called generational wealth. It’s important.
I got an Associates in Medical Billing and Coding at a Technical College. I then obtained my CPC that summer. Technical or trade would be the best bet anymore. I make 75,000 a year as a Senior Medical Coder. Didn’t start like that but found a job with a foot in the door.
Who told him an advanced degree would guarantee a higher income? I've never heard an employer say that. He made a bad decision
As a European this is crazy to me. I got a free education at a prestigious university and have a well-paying job having studied a subject I loved and picked since I was 10 years old.
If you can't afford children, don't have them.
Can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em
The whole point is that we’ve now lost the option to. People in societies need to have babies, otherwise, that society will crumble away to dust. People in the West aren’t having any babies, and is it any wonder? Nothing but weakness has been bred here.
That couple can afford children, but they prefer to spend it on a steep mortgage instead.
Facts!!!!!!!
well said. kids are massively expensive with no reward
As a Millennial myself, who is not struggling, I am fortunate to survive in this economy, but I look at other Millennials and see that that they don't have it as easy as I do. The financial pain is still hurting most folks and very real.
Vote Red.
Problem solved.
@@oldcrowtj4937
Leaving aside the irony of conservatives saying "Vote Red", you seem unaware that the economic pain many peopel are feeling has been getting worse since the Reagan revolution
@@oldcrowtj4937 I would, but their priorities are out of wack. They're too busy keeping President Biden from getting a political win, banning "pornographic" dictionaries and protecting Donald Trump from the law to help people financially. Their M.O. is to bankrupt America and make themselves rich at the American public's expense.
So what you’re saying is Joe Biden is a complete failure.
@@jockyoung4491Actually President Regan saved our nation from Jimmy carters record inflation, de industrialization, over regulation and won the Cold War.
A communications degree is what scholarship athletes and their cheerleader girlfriends get. You're not expected to make money off it after school, it's there to give you legitimacy while you're on campus. Sounds like the young couple bought more house than their talent was worth.
Problem with both examples here is the not a Degree or not, but What Degree?? A degree in Arts is useless compared to a tradesman who can build houses… Be practical.
Part of the problem is the skyrocketing rent and mortgages. Which is directly attributed to the 2008 financial fiasco. All of those foreclosures….and the banks just sat on them. Then the taxpayers bailed them out. We’re still paying for it.
Some degrees are not worth the paper that it’s printed on
Colleges should be held accountable
paper?
not etched on a plate of silver?
I got bullied in high school, graduated last in my class, and got denied entry into college. My girl and I drive semi trucks now and we have around like $200k household income. Man, I get the biggest smirk on my face when I hear them getting trapped in student debt
Congrats. Glad things are going well for you. - person who got 4.0 in high school and college and currently barely scrapes by on minimum wage.
brilliant. I worked just in admin, paid off my mortgage last year. I started early and picked a small house, one that I will be in forever bar care home. I refused to have kids with all that expense and burden. I don't buy fancy pets, cars, have expensive holidays but I did travel the world on a gap year, having saved up for that too.. I now live a good simple comfortable life and it is not boring, I do volunteer work and we go to fancy things with that. I never had a student loan
Biden wants you to pay off the student loans of these "lower middle class" eggheads with 3 bathrooms and a hot tub.
I never regretted the time, expense and hard work needed to get an engineering degree. Best chance ever of achieving upward mobility and it still is.
Exactly!!!
Lower middle class and you live in a McMansion, people are so out of their minds, at least they get to keep up with the Jones’s with their massive home
I wonder what kind of cars they have?
💯
In all fairness their house was built in 1965 and is a two story ranch. But still way to much house for them and way to much money
That isn't a McMansion. That house is a two story mid-century house. It isn't that big.
It's ridiculous they are keeping up with thr Jones' but they have less than $450 to also them until February. There has gotta be a better way!
We need skills not degrees. The problem is ai and CEO greed. The rich getting richer. Medical Bills need to be free.
And education needs to be massively reduced.
Pathetic. Ive seen people so far away from poverty and yet complaining they can’t afford anything. They need to wake up and realize what they have.
i applied to 240 jobs and got only 34
$3400/mo mortgage payment is for a $500k+ home. They are not "lower-to-middle class". Just hearing them complain is so laughable when you consider the numbers they are working with. The real problem is the sense of entitlement!
The house they got was $553,000 and it was listed for $499,000. So they offered $54,000 over asking. They are middle class if not upper middle. 😂
@@tattoogoddess85 Actually they got it for $530,000 and they paid an additional $18,000 in closing costs. Get your facts straight.
Go to Zillow and look at the price of townhouses and condos in their town. Many of them cost more than they paid for that house. A similarly sized house is now around $700,000.
@@jenni8982 what a racket!!
@@jenni8982thats fine but they do not have to live in a house that expensive. They can live more modestly and still be middle class, and live the American dream. The problem here is not that the system is against them. Its that they need to make better economic decisions.
Graduated as a RN after 4 years, worked in the field from 2015-2022. Barely made enough to scrape by unless I was willing to work 7 days a week instead of 6. After all the fixed costs in life there was not much left over. I didn't have a fancy car and had a 800sqft house. Left that for something with a better work life balance and making the same money. Just because a job is in high demand or important does not always mean it makes more money. Crazy world we live in nowadays.
I got my Associate Degree in nursing, the hospital paid for my Bachelor degree. I worked 2 jobs for ages, easy working three 12 hour sifts full time, still had 3 days off a week working an extra shift somewhere.
You're either living in a terrible city, living above your means, or have kids... Maybe all of the above. As a 32 yo RN with no kids I make a little over 70k a year and have MORE than enough money with a house paid off
@@carefulilickwindows6881 But are you genuinely happy? Thats the real question.
@@Stargazzer811 Yea, I think the problem with a lot of RNs is they settle for a job. That's not the argument though, the argument is that you should be able to live comfortably on 60-90k a year or you're just stupid
@@Stargazzer811 Also, if you work bedside for 2+ years as an RN then you're insane and will probably hate your life. That should be experience to find a better job
If you can't afford this big house, why didn't you just keep renting?
Just a 100 jobs in the past year?! Thats nothing!
It’s the biggest scam ever on poor people. A Bachelors degree is almost the same an associate degree. Then you have to get all these certifications it’s the old baiting and switch.
It's a racket!
Yes, it affects minorities the most. Everyone should change their nationality to Ukrainian for student loan relief.
I joined the military at 18. Completed an undergrad degree on active duty and used the GI Bill for grad school. After 15 years of working in the same STEM field I’m earning low six figures. I can now afford for my wife to be a SAHM which is what I’ve been working for my whole career. I own a home and work for the government. Life still isn’t easy, but it never was.
Work hard, make good decisions and live within your means.
So glad I never had a spouse or kids to tie me down. 🎶 I'm free to do what I want any ole time 🎶
@@SUGAR_XYLER I hear you, but it feels great to protect and provide for your own family. Kids are a LOT of work, but I love every second of being with my son. Definitely a life that is not for the selfish.
The military is a great way to pursue education affordable and it is often overlooked by many in the public. Thank you for putting in the discussion and Thank you for your service!
Ahh, STEM field, the grossly underfunded field.
The couple with a baby has a $3600/month mortgage. They are complaining they cant make ends meet? Maybe they should have bought a smaller house?
and not have a kid
I hate to say this..but the Gambino family issue starts with whoever thought it was a good idea to have a baby while paying a 3,000 monthly mortgage...Living Above Your Means is Depressing and breaks a lot of minds & spirits over time.
At one point, it was true that a college degree got you a ticket to a better job. But its not true anymore, its more like a passport in many cases. A college degree doesn't necessarily correlate with skills and productivity. With the internet, streaming videos, AI language models, and all sorts of resources, anyone anywhere can learn almost anything on their own. The younger generations are facing the challenges of automation and globalization more than ever.
Very true statement!!!
I am an immigrant and I took my time getting my degree and graduated debt free. I paid as I went. My sister did the same, and our children, three of them, are professional college graduates, debt free.
Why people take out loans and get into debt is beyond me.
Work and pay as you go. What's the hurry? All thats waiting for you when you graduate is work, work,work, work, work, work... Enjoy college, and be active in school activities. That's a great part of being a young adult.
I worked full time through college. If I hadn't taken out loans, I wouldn't have been able to go. I made enough money to live on, not enough to also pay for school. To qualify for the grant I got, I also had to go to school full time. I could just do a class here and there (which costs more/hour in the end).
@@jenni8982 Yes, everybody's circumstances are different. Getting into a huge debt because of college, in my honest opinion, is not a wise decision.
@QAsession I agree. Any young person interested in the medical field, my husband tells them not to do it unless they are in the military.
@@jenni8982 That is sound advice. Its terrible that college is so expensive. My niece became a nurse thanks to the college fund the state lets parents set up when a child is born. Then she manages to get an additional scholarship for books. Thankfully she is a nurse and has zero college debt. Everything is so expensive.
I became mortgage free at 48 but I never had kids so that helped.
They have very nice kitchens with a $20k remo value, have a $3400 mortgage payment, she works for a nonprofit, probably have two expensive cars and they wonder why they can’t go out for dinner. I’m an older millennial, the 2008 debacle got me good, I’m doing OT when possible, have a dated kitchen, reasonable and reliable cars, I can have a dinner when I want. One more thing: the man has to be the leader, 90% of women don’t have a clue what life is about, they don’t see the forest behind three bushes, all they think is what they want. Millennials from 26 to 32 are still young to understand the real game, those older than 32-33 is time me to grow up.