middleclassparty

Older generations say “we all struggled in our 20s.” No, you didn’t. You didn’t pay $2,200 for rent and $7 for eggs. You didn’t graduate into $50K student debt and $0 job security. Gen Z isn’t dramatic. They’re drowning.

People are out here using storage units, motel rooms, RV parks, libraries, and gym showers just to survive. And we still have politicians telling us the economy is strong.

A car repair should not be the thing that pushes someone from “hanging on” to “I might lose everything.” But in this economy, one battery or set of tires can end your whole plan.

A 23-year-old used to need an entry-level job and some discipline to afford rent. Now they need perfect credit, triple income, no bad luck, and a miracle just to stop sleeping outside.

“Just budget better to get an apartment.” With what? First month, last month, deposit, application fee, admin fee, background check, income verification. America turned housing into an obstacle course.

The idea of a 401(k) was simple: Save for retirement. But in 2025, a record 6% of workers took hardship withdrawals from their plans. Up from about 2% before the pandemic. People aren’t planning retirement anymore. They’re trying to survive.

When rent gets so high that living in a parking lot starts to sound rational, the problem is NOT the people. The problem is the system that made shelter unaffordable.

Credit card rates are now over 20% on average. Some people are paying 30%+ interest. So workers are borrowing from their 401(k) just to escape it. That’s not a healthy economy. That’s financial triage.

Living longer used to be a blessing. Now it is a financial death sentence for the unprepared. There is a 50% chance one spouse in a couple lives past 90. That means 25 to 30 years of retirement to fund. With $100,000 saved. On $2,000 a month from Social Security. Getting old in America is becoming something people can't afford to do.

Under 25 the median household income is $38,000 to $42,000 a year. The accepted livable wage in America is now $80,000 to $100,000. Groceries. Rent. Car payment. Insurance. $50,000 a year does not cover it anymore. An entire generation is starting their adult lives already below the poverty line. And we keep calling it an opportunity gap.

The economy looks great! From a trading desk. From a newsroom. From a hedge fund. Not from your kitchen table.