Fermsy

It’s $996 to replace my windshield with insurance.
It’s $491 to replace my windshield without insurance.
What the f*ck is the point of insurance ????

there is no reason a full-time worker should need:
a roommate
parental help
side hustles
a cosigner
just to afford a basic one-bedroom in the city they work in.
at that point the economy is not “challenging.”
it’s completely broken.

the average US mortgage is $250,000 at 7% over 30 years.
total repayment? $598,000.
you borrow $250K and pay back $598K.
$348,000 straight to the bank for nothing.
then you pay to fix up the house.
stuff breaks.
you pay insurance monthly.
property taxes every year.
3–6% in realtor fees when you sell.
and we act like renting is throwing money away.
there is a strong argument for renting.

we’ve owned our home for nearly 3 years.
we’ve paid $58,500 in mortgage payments but our loan balance has only decreased by $14,600.
that means $43,900 went toward interest, taxes and insurance.
lesson: owning a home costs WAY more than just the purchase price.

Elon Musk Wealth
2012: $2 billion
2026: $812 billion
Larry Ellison Wealth
2009: $23 billion
2026: $240 billion
Mark Zuckerberg Wealth
2008: $1.5 billion
2026: $222 billion
Jeff Bezos Wealth
1998: $1.6 billion
2026: $278 billion
Minimum Wage
2009: $7.25
2026: $7.25
Obscene

when you realized that 2026 summer was supposed to be like 2016 not 2020

We're 4 years into our mortgage.
We've paid over $95,000 in mortgage payments – but our balance has only gone down by $31,000.
The other $64,000 went to interest, taxes, and insurance.
So yeah – owning a home costs a lot more than the price of the home.

6 levels of income:
Poor: Under $5,000/month
Stable: $15,000/month
Middle class: $25,000/month
Upper-middle: $40,000/month
Very comfortable: $60,000/month
Rich: $200,000/month
Do you agree?

suddenly, you're 27.
you make your coffee, rush to work, come home around 7, and you're too tired to do anything except eat, scroll on your phone, and pass out.
then you wake up, and do it all again.
and when Friday comes, maybe you go out, or maybe you're just too tired.
then, out of nowhere, it hits you.
how did everything pass by so quickly?
you don't even feel 27.
you still feel like that 17 year old kid who thought they had all the time in the world.
but somehow, 10 years just disappeared and you start missing the past. the feeling of being young, excited, and clueless.
but then you reali

American couples in their 30's work to get jobs paying $70,000/yr.
Then they:
- Have $30,000 weddings
- Buy $35,000 cars
- Rent $3,000/mo apartments
- Pay $1,500/mo for daycare.
They blink, suddenly they’re 50 & making changes feels impossible.
This is the middle-class trap.

At 25 I thought:
- The $8,500 Rolex was cool
- The $60,000 Mercedes was cool
- The giant boat was cool
At 35 I now realize:
- The maxed out Roth IRA is cooler
- Gym at 10am on a Monday is cooler
- Having lunch with kids daily is cooler
Success looks different with age.