You bought the house in the suburbs because the mortgage was $800 less per month than the city apartment. What the Realtor didn’t mention: you’re now spending $1,200 monthly on two cars, $400 on gas, three hours daily in traffic, and you’re at the chiropractor for your worsening back. Your neighbor in the walk-up apartment … Read more
You log off your laptop at 6:47 PM after a 9-hour day that included three Zoom meetings, 47 Slack messages, and a presentation you finished during your “lunch break.” You pick up the kids, start dinner, answer two urgent work emails on your phone while the pasta boils, help with homework, pay bills, fold laundry, … Read more
Your father bought his first house at 28, financed by a factory job with a high school diploma. He paid it off by 50 and retired with a pension. You’re 32, holding two degrees, $78,000 in student debt, and a studio apartment lease you can barely afford. Your definition of the American Dream has shrunk: … Read more
Your grandfather moved from rural Alabama to Detroit in 1955, doubled his income in five years, bought a house, and sent three kids to college. You graduated college in 2015, landed a job offer in San Francisco, calculated the rent would consume 60% of your salary, and stayed home. You’ve been “saving up to move” … Read more