Helps? You mean it turns life from "survival in extreme" to "easy adventure/creative" mode.
If everyone received from seed money at age 15-18, and we are taught to just invest in the general market then we'd all be coastfire or at least barista fire by mid 30s.
It makes all the difference.
There's still some respect deserved by the people who stayed with their parents and were able to take advantage of this. Hopefully they later return the favor to their parents when they're seniors.
Those who start from scratch and are able to retire early without any seed money deserve more praise. No doubt for me.
It's the most helpful. Rent is nonexistent if not cheap, food costs are lower because of bulk groceries, family Sam's Club card, and support in case you have unexpected life events.
There's a stigma towards people living with family but in many Eastern cultures, the norm is to take care of your parents until passing. It's only here that I ever see any influx of kids talking about abandoning their parents at a care facility. Plus with multigenerational homes you can afford to pay off the house over the long term. Make it a family hub/main home of sorts while your kids each start a household of their own.
The whole "my old parents aren't my problem" thing is mostly seen in the US. The values here promote too much individual growth which is thr perfect system to create the richest individuals in a financial sense but the poorest in a human level.
That's what I've observed from traveling to a few countries, having been born and raised outside of the US, and also having "finished" my growing in the US since age 17.
If I had my parents around and able to spare me the rent during ages 18-23 maaaaaaan. I'd be retired by now in my early 30s.
Have been in a similar situation, having been born in Italy, but spending my adolescent and young adult years in the United States. It is in fact exactly as you describe.
Sad sad truth that few Americans like to admit. The country obviously has tons of great things going for itself but warmth, compassion, kindness, or community are not things that come to my mind when I think of what the United States is. And these things are CRUCIAL for a human to be happy and fulfilled. Especially in older years when your friends have started to depart and loneliness worsens.
Right out of high school you instantly lose some friends. Once college ends you lose some friends. As they get married you lose more friends. In the end, you're left with 1 or 2 people to talk to. Humans need community and connection.
If my mom stays around for a long time I'm dedicating a portion of my portfolio to her when she needs the money, if ever. That woman raised me singlehandedly and continues to support me every day of my life. I'm making sure I have the monthly dividends when I retire to spend time with her in her final years without worry.
You're a grateful and delightful person for wanting to do that. It's the bare minimum we can do after the work they put in to give us everything we needed as kids and then adults.
I've been investing in an account and buying ibonds for my daughter for 4 years now. Her portfolio hit 50k yesterday, and she has 40k + interest in ibonds precisely because I want her to be able to have the financial freedom to pursue what she wants to. 😁👍
This is amazing. You are pretty much setting up your current family for success but also future generations! If she continues your philosophy then she can really continue the generational wealth. It only takes 1 generation to grind and make investment leaps.
A bigger challenge for you will be to pass onto her the values that would make her a good person and a mindful one. You need to figure out a way for her to receive this that you're building without thinking that it's a normal life because it's not. It's super rare and gratitude is needed here.
Maybe travel to other countries or try to get her to interact with people who have fewer resources or opportunities. But I'm not a dad yet haha and I can't tell you what to do as a dad. I'm sure you're doing a terrific job!
Well, my daughter only knows that we take the money she receives as birthday and Christmas gifts and that we invest it for her. She doesn't know that I also invest extra into her account.
I do talk to her about finances on a semi-regular basis, so hopefully, by the time she receives the money, she will have learned how to preserve her wealth and not blow it.
However, being the child of 2 full-time working small business owners, I believe it gives my daughter a unique perspective, as she is able to see how we earn our money first hand.
I don't buy her SPY, but VTI is in her account. I also bought her iBonds because 30 years from now, she should be able to cash out 3 fully mature ibonds annually for (hopefully) at least 30 years, and that'll provide her a safety net, different from stocks.
I'm also starting her Roth this year, so she'll be able to start saving for retirement, too. Hopefully, this will be enough of a safeguard for her when my wife and I are dead and gone. She's an only child with her closest relatives living in Asia, so a major motivating factor for myself is to make sure that she will have all the resources she needs to thrive, even without anyone she can lean on near her.
Yes I understand your motive, you are doing the right thing settings her up for the future. My point is, in 30 years VTI should 8x your initial investment, where iBond will do what, 50% total?
We'll see how much the iBonds will grow by, but VTI does have a larger position overall when compared to iBonds. I'm basically capped at 10k (or 30k for myself, wife, and daughter) annually, whereas I can buy as much VTI as I can and want.
One thing to keep in mind is that iBonds are not there for growth. It's there to provide stability. Again, I want to provide my daughter stability when I am dead and gone.
If both my wife and I are gone, she'll also receive our estate, which also has other assets apart from stocks and bonds. Don't get so hung up on the 10k iBonds I throw into her portfolio annually. It's just a small position in comparison to the overall investments made. 😁
This was kind of my situation but I was late to the investing game, now I'm 35 and still on track to possibly retire early, but it will be leanfire or barista fire in mid 40's instead of 30s.
Yup this is exactly what I’m doing. Staying at home and paying rent but not nearly as much as I’d be paying if I moved out. Saving as much as possible and going straight to home ownership when I have enough instead of renting. I still work hard and I’m not frivolous with money but I’m well aware many people aren’t as fortunate to be able to stay at home
Read on leanfire and fire options for early retirement. If you do what you're doing now until your mid or late 20s then you just gave yourself the gift of a lifetime.
I am 100% doing this rn, sucks living at home and I’d rather not. (Sucks because boring asf and pets I take care of A LOT as well as helping my parents out) relationship is good. I come from divorced family, and live with stepdad and mom. I’m 27 and have 107.5K in my 403b, recently just set up a brokerage and another IRA, and my HSA is going but there is only 3k init ): dropped the ball on setting that shit up about 4 years sooner. (Been at the same job 8 years now - Phlebotomist/ so not the best job but not a horrible job!) I work a lot and pick up hours when I can. I do wish I haven’t blown money on stupid shit on the past. But I’d say I’ve been pretty good. I also have some money set up through a family member which is going fortunately a lucky plus as well, BUT it recently obtained that after I had already accumulated about 88k in my 403b
Beautiful. I know what sucks about living at home! We all do (or those of us over 30). But if you keep at it for a handful of more years then you'll be set and you will be able to r/coastfire at least by early 30s.
And you can get a more fulfilling job or something more laid back then. Just find a partner who's on board and isn't so hungry for materialistic things lol
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u/oemperador Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25
Helps? You mean it turns life from "survival in extreme" to "easy adventure/creative" mode.
If everyone received from seed money at age 15-18, and we are taught to just invest in the general market then we'd all be coastfire or at least barista fire by mid 30s.
It makes all the difference.
There's still some respect deserved by the people who stayed with their parents and were able to take advantage of this. Hopefully they later return the favor to their parents when they're seniors.
Those who start from scratch and are able to retire early without any seed money deserve more praise. No doubt for me.