61% of Americans are still living paycheck to paycheck

[piezoe]

Albeit, I dropped out in the first six weeks of my senior year, but I only have a GED. Kicked out at 17. Caught some felonies due to stupidity. Did several years in prison. I have a criminal record so I was only able to get an entry level job at $7.50 an hour after putting in a ton of applications. Learned to live well below my means. Drove a shitty 90s vehicle for over a decade even though I could have done payments. I busted my ass, learned skills to work everywhere I was needed there. Worked and saved and studied everything I could on the internet on trading, real estate, economics, politics.

I refuse to listen to people who try to make excuses for criminals and victimhood for lazy people. Any person is capable of pulling themselves out of their circumstances IF THEY WANT TO. I couldn't tell you how many other inmates told me that once you have an X on your back you will always come back before I got out. That was almost 2 decades ago.

I saved up $17,000 working thousands of hours of overtime. Lost it all but $1,000 in the futures market in one month. Saved up another $18,000 studying, studying, studying. Currently have close to $200k, around $100k in my brokerage daytrading account, and my home is paid off.

Do some people have things easier in life due to parents and circumstances? Sure, but they aren't responsible for me or my fate.

Congratulations. You are an exception, and I wish there were many more of you. Best of luck to you. You deserve it! To hear you say that everyone is capable of doing what you have done, does not convince me however. You seem to suggest the problem, for most anyway, is laziness. My inclination would be to think that laziness is only the symptom of a more deep-seated problem, likely rooted in one's childhood. If so, that is a problem that relatively few would be capable of overcoming on their own, and for most the help they would need is not forthcoming. You may represent the atypical in more than one way. You may have an exceptional psyche.

 

[Bugsy]

Congratulations. You are an exception, and I wish there were many more of you. Best of luck to you. You deserve it! To hear you say that everyone is capable of doing what you have done, does not convince me however. You seem to suggest the problem, for most anyway, is laziness. My inclination would be to think that laziness is only the symptom of a more deep-seated problem, likely rooted in one's childhood. If so, that is a problem that relatively few would be capable of overcoming, and you may be one of those few!

Perhaps, but I'd like to think God puts the ability to overcome any obstacles within every person if they refuse to give up. It's been so evident all throughout history. I just believe that in order for one to reach that consciousness it has to be about something bigger than yourself, or money (in the case of learning to be successful at any skill). Not saying most lazy people only think about their own wants, but, well, most lazy people only think about their own wants.

I believe it takes seeing something outside of your current grasp, and doing whatever it takes, whatever sacrifice are necessary, to reach it. Imo, that is why I put so much more faith in those who have strong work ethic over those who take for granted what was just handed to them, because those who come from nothing with strong work ethics are clearly focused on reaching their goals.

 

[RedSun]

Well, that's not true. It is good for some people. Namely those whose incomes keep up with inflation and who's interest payments are fixed. For these folks the real cost of debt declines with inflation. They can, in time, find themselves paying back to their creditors dollars worth less in buying power than the dollars they borrowed!

A positive mean inflation rate is one of the important driving factors behind modern Western Economies that are fueled by fractional reserve banking.

This is BS too. Anyone whose income rises more than inflation is better off. Or anyone who can beat inflation and have have a healthy investment return is better off.

This has nothing to do with inflation. Poor people can benefit from inflation too if they can handsomely beat high inflation.

Get some common sense. Do not add the "ifs".