Freddie Smith

Why Millennials & Gen Z need 150k to be “middle class”

Is $30 an hour the livable wage for the average American in 2026? What city do you live in? What do you feel is the livable wage in your city?

There has never been a better time for entrepreneurs, sales people and entertainers to have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. That is 100% true. However, it’s also true that it was easier decades ago for typical workers to have a better path to achieve the American Dream. Cost of living, wages and productivity were more aligned allowing people to work their way up in a reasonable time frame. As we continue to grow as a country, we need to reboot the economic policies, so that all Americans can benefit as we grow and evolve.

Is buying a home in 2026 a good investment?

How the American Dream died over 45 years: 1. Trickle Down Economics ❌ 2. Stock buybacks ❌ 3. LBOs & start of PE dominance ❌ 4. Pensions to 401ks ❌ 5. Offshoring❌ 6. National debt from $5T ➡️ $39T ❌ 7. 2008 crash | subprime mortgages ❌ 8. Increased rent prices ❌ 9. Super PACs ❌ 10. 25% inflation since pandemic ❌ AND Productivity and GDP per capita far outpaced wages and our purchasing power is down 75% in the 45 years.

150k is the new 60k This is because of “The Big Three” 1. Housing 2. College 3. Daycare Three neighbors leaving next to each other could have drastically different monthly payments because of The Big Three. It could range from $600 - $6,000+ This is why we often hear Millennials & Gen Z sharing how they would need 100k to 150k to be comfortable.

📚GENERATION F****D | How Millennials & Gen Z Were Robbed Of The American Dream & How We Can Fix Our Futures

In order to save the middle class, we would need either: 1. Cost of living to come down 30% - 40% (which in reality, is not good, because that usually means recession) OR 2. Wages increase 50% The likelihood of either of those happening is basically zero. So, what’s left? ABOLISH Federal Taxes and let hardworking Americans keep their money!

Why “living within your means” is outdated advice.

Over the past 50 years, if just 20% would have trickled down from the top 1% to the bottom 50%, wealth would be more balanced in this country. Top 1% has $55T and the Bottom 50% has $4.5T If 20% would have trickled down, top 1% would still have $44T but the bottom 50% would now nearly $16T

Celebrities & the elites can be so out of touch.

I don’t have a problem with the boomers. I think it’s important to have tough conversations so we can all work together and find solutions, so we can all win!

Why the middle class is divided in 2026

It’s not ageist to call out the poor leadership of the silent and boomer generation over the past 30-50 years.

And the same generation still dominates federal leadership. Supreme Court: 5 of 9 justices are Boomers (56%) Senate: 60 of 100 senators (60%) House: 170 members (39%) For a generation that makes up about 20% of the population, that’s a remarkable share of political power. Much respect to the Boomers who helped build this country, but it's time to hand the baton and mentor the next generation to lead this new world.

Baby Boomers have held federal power in America for decades. From 1993 to 2021, the U.S. had 28 consecutive years of Boomer presidents. Clinton → Bush → Obama → Trump Then came Biden. He was born in 1942 (Silent Gen), but if Biden, Clinton, Bush, and Trump grew up in the same town, they would’ve attended the same high school at the same time Biden would’ve been a senior, the others freshmen 33 years of leadership from the same era We still haven’t had a president born after 1961. 1/2

Millennials & Gen Z are not struggling because of coffee. It’s because wages haven’t kept up with cost of living.

Why Millennials & Gen Z are struggling to buy a starter home.

The average American contributes about $150K to Social Security over their lifetime. Their employer contributes another $150K. That’s $300K paid into the system. In retirement, the average Social Security benefit is about $25K per year on that $300K. But if that same $300K were invested in the stock market at 8% over a working lifetime, it could grow to over $4 million, generating roughly $150K per year in retirement income. This is NOT a good deal for the American people.

Social security is outdated and needs to change!