The things early retirement gurus don't tell you

Yep I hear you. But look I will say this....that kind of privilege can hold you back. Because you miss learning the valuable lessons that set you up, independently, for life.

I was born into middle class, went to public schools and a public university. I am 31 and still paying off student debt - nearly there though! My husband and I bought our first house in 2018 by ourselves. I paid my own way through university - rent, utilities, food etc. Studied a full load and waited tables. The minute I left home at 19, the umbilical cord was cut entirely from my mother and father. Why? Well....

Contrast to my older sister - parents bought her a house at 21 - for $450k because they "didn't want her to rent" (but were fine with me renting for a decade). They negotiated with our high school to lower the pass mark for her year because sister failed her final exams and they didn't want her to repeat. Then, paid her college fees even though she dropped out. Bought her first car, and then another after she drunk drove the first into a pole. Completely and utterly spoiled her. I got none of it. Just remembering the cringey conversation I had with them when it came to financing my way through university. I asked them if they would help me like the helped her. The answer was "sorry everything we have is tied up in your sister's house right now". Cool. Ok. Thanks.

Jokes on them though, I hustled and now out earn all of them - almost as much as the three of them combined. Sister is swimming in debt which she's hiding from her partner because she doesn't have any financial literacy. She has no assets in her name.

I don't live paycheck to paycheck and have renovated a good amount of equity into our house - about to purchase our first investment property.

Sometimes not having privilege is a good thing. It can make you better.

/r/fiaustralia Thread