r/FluentInFinance 5d ago

$14,000,000,000? Discussion/ Debate

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u/VortexMagus 5d ago

Guess who has the most money in 401ks? Answer: the rich.

Guess who can't afford a 401k at all?

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

If you can't afford to put 6% of your income into a 401K, you have made shit life choices, stop blaming the wealthy for your screw ups

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Hear me out here big dawg - every working person should be guaranteed financial security at retirement age, regardless of how stupid you think their decisions are. Stop being such a cuck for the wealthy - I’m sure you’re insecure about your own financial status, but shitting on poor people doesn’t make you part of the club

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u/Johr1979 5d ago

How is "financial security" defined? And is it a quantifiable number that can be applied to everyone?

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u/jb31969 4d ago

Bold of you to ask this question. You will never ever ever get an answer. You will get "vibes". "Like people should be able to live where they grew up forever and there should be no suffering, or starving or negative friction of any kind forever and for always."

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u/Johr1979 4d ago

I often get "vibes" that people want to live like others do without having the actual means to do it. Why does Joe Schmo have a $900,000 house and a $125,000 car and I dont?

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u/jb31969 4d ago

lol yea exactly. On top of that, they religiously pointing to a time 50 years ago and conveniently leaving out the fact that the standard of living in this perceived "Goldilocks Time" was so fundamentally different than how we live today you can't even truly compare it. House sizes, creature comforts, food availability, food quality, technology, etc.

But it's always "Grandpa was a glove-box repairman that raised 8 kids, lived in a palatial estate, and ate lobster thermador for dinner every night. And mee-maw stayed home baking apple pies and gazing out over her white picket fence all day."

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u/Flexo__Rodriguez 5d ago

Considering there's such a thing as a "poverty line", yes.

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u/scheav 4d ago

We shift the poverty line each year. If you gave everyone $20k a year extra, what do you think would happen to the poverty line?

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u/tranceworks 5d ago

So regardless of whether they save for retirement?

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

yes that is literally what these people think. I mean, they directly said it, everyone should be given "financial security" regardless of their decisions.

they're saying they should be able to be lazy for 40 years, spend every penny they have on dumb shit, and have everyone else pay taxes to fund their financial security once they're 65.

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u/Ok-Language5916 2d ago

Well, it's easy to pay less; have fewer poor people. If our society rewarded honest work instead of just capital & corporate gains, then a lot fewer would be poor and we wouldn't have to pay very much to give everybody a good standard of living.

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u/Ilikeyourmomfishcave 5d ago

Cuck is the answer, but the judges would accept simping for the rich also.

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u/Rhawk187 5d ago

Retirement isn't an age, it's a state of financial health.

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u/skuntism 5d ago

Por que no los dos? Why not guarantee a retirement income to all working people at a certain age, and if you have enough money that you don’t need to work you can do that at any age?

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u/Kchan7777 5d ago

I think you just defined Social Security and 401ks.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/skuntism 5d ago

Honestly pretty much except fund it properly along with the rest of the social services for a dignified life

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u/pharrigan7 5d ago

SS is a horrible program and always has been. It should be phased out over time and replaced for younger workers taking similar amounts of money out of your paycheck but investing them in a menu of funds and investments that will actually grow for you over time. I think often about the money I’ve thrown into SS over the years that just sits there or worse is wasted by government.

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u/pharrigan7 5d ago

Where’s the money come from? Giving people things is never a good idea in any economy. The most that should ever happen is safety net programs that get you back on your feet but where the onus is still on you.

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u/skuntism 5d ago

I disagree. I’d rather the onus be on the state.

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u/Kchan7777 5d ago

I guess we’re giving meme answers now. Someone making $50k a year can absolutely contribute to retirement. Just because ordering 3 servings of Burger King through DoorDash a day puts financial strain on you does not mean you are poor.

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u/Ordinary-Lobster-710 5d ago

how much of my wages should be taken in taxes to be given to someone else as their reward for not making better choices. how many extra years should i be required to work for you?

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Personally I don’t think the average American worker should have any tax increase. But framing this as “us vs the lazy” just reinforces the view that poverty is a personal failing that can’t be corrected with policy.

In my ideal world, the ultra rich would be taxed 100% above some arbitrary number and stock market liquidity would be transferred to improving companies and raising wages. I’m a pretty dumb guy so I’m not saying “this is my exact plan to lift people from poverty,” but rather that these public attitudes encourage the ultra rich to further take advantage of the average American, while regular folk just argue amongst themselves about a problem that could be solved by liquidating like 1 individuals wealth lol

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Lmaooo there’s a big difference between saying “here’s a problem that needs solving” and “here’s the solution to the problem.” Yeah dawg, I’m sure I’m not as versed at you in macroecon, but you have to admit that the ultra rich are vultures who actively take money away from the common man.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Are you like not in the finance world? Lol the majority of the ultra wealthy are those that INVEST in companies; you’re right that they sure make the companies massive, inevitably at the expense of the employees and consumer - but hey, line goes up. This translates to newer companies having massive valuations without ever seeing profit (seen prominently in the tech sector). As these companies start realizing they can’t turn a profit, they start charging more and paying less, just to keep the gravy train rolling from PE and Wall Street. As the stock starts to rise, they start spinning off financial derivatives to increase leverage, meaning a large portion of the money flowing into these companies is only seen by traders without helping the company or its customers at all. So yeah, definitely vultures lol

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 4d ago

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u/DelightfulDolphin 4d ago edited 2d ago

🤩

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

I’m a pretty dumb guy

yeah that's clear lol

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u/Gavorn 5d ago

And yet you don't say that to old people on social security.

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u/Ordinary-Lobster-710 4d ago

bc theoretically you should be getting out what you put in. im actually not really even in favor of the current social security system to be totally honest. it is a ponzi scheme and when population flat lines the jig is up

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u/n3wsf33d 4d ago

That depends on the cost of living.

The real question is, if you were creating society from scratch but did not know what your position in society would be upon its creation, meaning you could be one of these people, would you or would you not want to subsidize life for people who can no longer work? Remember we're not talking about a UBI, we're talking about social security.

You can work and spend all your money and retire with nothing. Or you can work and save and retire with enough to live (and live quite comfortably vs the people who would just be getting subsistence level distributions).

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u/DelightfulDolphin 4d ago edited 2d ago

🤩

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u/Global_Lock_2049 4d ago

I'm fine with my taxes helping the destitute. You pretend like they're living in any condition remotely similar to us that they are content with it? There's a reason majority of people actually work. Your big fear of supporting a lazy person isn't actually that big of an issue nor is it common compared to the rest of the world that needs help.

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u/strawberrypants205 4d ago

In your case, all of them.

Having choices is not the same as making choices, and people like you set out to steal other people's choices so that even the best choice they can make with what they have won't be "good enough" - letting you "blame" them for "not making better choices" they didn't have the resources to make in the first place because you stole them.

Get over yourself. You're more transparent than plate glass, and the only people "fooled" by you are your fellow cult members - and they're only going along with you.

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u/emperorjoe 5d ago

It's called social security...........we already pay for that.

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u/pharrigan7 5d ago

But what we pay doesn’t come close to actually “paying for it”.

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u/emperorjoe 5d ago

Why would it. The demographics have changed over 90 years. When the program was conceived there was 42 working age adults per retiree now it's 3-1.

When the trust runs out, The program doesn't disappear, the payout gets reduced to match what gets brought in.

There is no way for all these social programs to be funded fully.

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u/ridemybikeeveryday 5d ago

This is the dumbest comment on Reddit today.
Who in the hell is going to guarantee that? You?

LOL. I cant even process this its so asinine.

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Honestly I’m not sure what’s asinine about supporting policy to redistribute wealth to prior US levels of disparity… Do you think that our current wealth distribution is fair? Honestly the only way I’d understand your viewpoint is if you were super rich yourself and acting in your own interest

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u/ridemybikeeveryday 5d ago

Apologies for the tone, I reread it and my intent was not to be insulting.

The ostensibly ignorant and blatantly idealistic nature of your comment is what I found asenine. Our system is certainly less than perfect and inarguably trending in the wrong direction faster than anything in our history. We can’t even pay our own bills as a country. We are led by sociopathic narcissists on both sides of the aisle. Guaranteeing financial security for everyone retiring is not just financially impossible it’s not possible to determine how to do that as each persons needs are unique. The best thing our government can do is stay out of as many things as possible. Literally everything they get involved in goes to hell. They add taxes all the time while providing worse and worse service to all of us. Regarding financial redistribution everyone has their own ideas that (shocker) align with their own personal views.

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

Haha you don’t have to apologize man, I’m not tight over Reddit. It’s absolutely idealistic, I get that, but at the same time I think it’s worth pointing out the absurdity of how our financial system is run. I’m not saying I’ve got a plan to make the wealth gap magically fixed - but I do think it’s something that’s worth advocating for.

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u/ridemybikeeveryday 5d ago

Well I agree it’s gotten completely out of control. We are being taxed for everything and then the use of those taxes is beyond wasteful. As a guy who has to support four people I just want my tax money being used effectively. That would be a great start. Have a great night

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u/Kchan7777 5d ago

As the population grows and international trade increases, wealth disparity SHOULD increase. A janitor doesn’t necessarily need to be making more for cleaning the same building a sole owner works in where he’s tripled his revenues.

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u/twelve112 5d ago

Have you heard of social security?

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u/Dramatic_Exam_7959 5d ago

I have to agree with the 6% up there even if I don't want too. Tell every poor person they are getting 6% less and it will make a difficult life even more difficult...but they will manage. Tell the poor to save 6% and someday they will not be poor and they will say they cannot manage it.

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u/0000110011 5d ago

Hear me out here big dawg - every working person should be guaranteed financial security at retirement age,

Hear me out kid - Personal responsibility. No one else owes you a goddamn thing and it's on you to plan for the future instead of being an idiot pissing away your money on "fun".

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u/Remindmewhen1234 5d ago

What if I told you my daughter ( who has a three year old daughter) and makes $24 an hour at Amazon commits the 401k match. If she can do it, so can you.

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u/hideawaythrowaway892 4d ago

Bro why should I have to pay extra taxes to make sure others can retire when I’ve worked multiple jobs for YEARS to ensure I can retire? I’m sure the government won’t let me double dip my own savings and whatever this “financial security” is, but I bet I’ll be paying for somebody else’s.

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 4d ago

I know it sounds counterintuitive but there’s a good argument to be made that redistributing wealth to the working class (eg minimum wage increase to cover inflation) would LOWER your tax burden. Like, for example, the Walton family is worth more than like the bottom 50% of Americans, yet Walmart wages are so low that their employees need government assistance (ie your taxes). If Mr. Walton distributed some of his crazy wealth to his employees, you would end up paying less taxes because less people rely on the government.

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u/hideawaythrowaway892 4d ago

I totally agree - this is correct. But it’s hard to do that because Walmart will just cut employees and expect more from the ones left to compensate. This is where I think unions would be beneficial.

But I’m no Walton, and I make quite a bit now. Don’t really wanna see my taxes increase. I started from nothing, so it’s kind of like watching the goalposts move on my own life’s security and goals. I’m not generationally wealthy by any stretch so increasing my tax burden just hinders me on the way there. But yeah, definitely tax the mega wealthy more.

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u/Hapless_Wizard 5d ago

Sure would be nice if the way the government went about that wasn't a pyramid scheme that also managed to torpedo most pensions just by existing, though.

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u/KittyTerror 5d ago

Hear me out big dawg - every person who makes poor decisions for decades on end shouldn’t be protected from the consequences of their decisions by responsible and disciplined people.

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

How do you know these people aren’t responsible/disciplined? You don’t think there is any other way to end up broke at retirement? Medical bills, market forces and bad timing, education for many children, etc.?

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u/lhorwinkle 5d ago

Every working person should be guaranteed financial security at retirement age ...
Utter nonsense!

Life provides no guarantees. None.
Unhappy_local_9502 is not being "a cuck for the wealthy".
I'm guessing he got off his ass and put in the effort to make himself wealthy.

You should, too.
Earn your way and quit complaining.
Complaints will get you exactly nowhere.

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u/xGsGt 5d ago

😂😂😂😂😂😂

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u/kingjoey52a 5d ago

every working person should be guaranteed financial security at retirement age,

Social Security?

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u/PrimaryInjurious 5d ago

Ant and grasshopper problem here.

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u/Aggravating_Sun4435 5d ago

so you cant blame stupid people who dont take advantage of their 401k? you absolutely should blame people for things they mess up with.

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u/mtd14 5d ago

Not to mention - 401ks were literally designed for the rich as a tax dodge, then passed along to the regular employees as the replacement for a pension fund. Pretending my 401k is even comparable to the executives who get the miracle $46k match it takes to actually max the fucker is a laugh.

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u/Whateverman9876543 5d ago

If all the people who made “poor life choices” stopped working tomorrow our entire economy would crumble because the wealthy aren’t the ones adding value for the customer

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

I get what you're saying but both the front line workers and the higher up execs are adding value. the company wouldn't function without either of those.

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u/Whateverman9876543 5d ago

But the front line workers aren’t getting their fair share of the pie

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

What is their fair share?

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u/Global_Lock_2049 4d ago

What do you define as the fair share the other way?

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u/Jaoaonebw776 5d ago

Retiring without dying of hunger or being homeless.

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u/garden_speech 4d ago

That seems like it would be, by necessity, managed by the state (like social security).

Because someone can have a good wage and still end up homeless if they don’t save.

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u/jb31969 4d ago

There is never a concrete answer. It's only ever vibes with you people. Hunger how? Housing how? There are miles between Palatial Estate with lobster thermidor every night and lean-to shack eating cans of catfood. You guys never have exact metrics for what you think should be necessity levels, its always ambiguous, nebulous bullshit like "Nobody should suffer ever"

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u/OrsilonSteel 5d ago

Stock buybacks benefit those who are better off already disproportionately because it is percentage based growth, but the cost of living is a flat rate.

At any rate, 6% of $30,203 (the average salary of Lowes employees) is ~$1800. With an 8% interest, that is ~$346,000 after 35 years. With that same term and rate, $47,000 is $765,000, with $0 of contributions from the employee.

If Lowes put half of that $15 bn into their employees’ 401k’s, they’d have been able to double their retirement while still doing $7.5 bn in stock buyouts. Instead, they focused on making their investors rich instead.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

The have a decent employee match already.. and just STOP with the idea that the average employee is worth a $47K bonus LOL

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u/Forced_Democracy 5d ago

Any clue what the cost of living is compared to the amount that Lowe's pays its employees? Base pay should be higher and the only reason its not is that they are pooling that money into the people that already have far more.

They arent actually saying that there should be a 47k bonus, just providing a comparison that makes it easier to understand the numbers. You are seeing that 47k per person is ridiculous but not realizing why. Its insane that the corporate execs have that much extra money for the company and decided to use it exclusively to pour more money into shareholder pocket rather than expanding the business, or increasing wages, or lowering prices, or doing literally anything else productive with it. It doesn't even help the company make more money, just it's investors who haven't done any actual work to make that money in the first place.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago edited 4d ago

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u/Forced_Democracy 5d ago

There's a massive problem when the labor is entirely separated from the profits that come from that labor. Don't you think that working harder and doing better at your job would mean that you are entitled to better pay? Isn't that what "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" saying really means in America? Shouldn't working 40 hours a week in an exhausting job entitle you being able to pay bills and invest in your own future? Isn't it absolutely fucked up that just because someone was born into a wealthy family that they can just buy some stock in a company and earn money, passively? There are people working hard, every single day, in a company that won't increase their pay to match inflation and you are saying that the company they work for has zero obligation to make sure the ones who actually earn the money for said company should feel like they have any sense of financial security?

The company could also choose to spend that money to hire more employees so that people aren't overworked. Or invest in training so that employees are capable of knowing what they actually sell. The reason why people work these jobs for a few years then leave is because it is set up that way and it shouldn't be. If people stuck around they would get yearly wage increases which means there is less "record breaking profits" which also tend to happen right after a massive layoff.

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u/MinimumArmadillo2394 4d ago

The have a decent employee match already..

This doesnt solve the problem that the average lowes employee makes approximately $15/hr (between $11-21). Doesnt matter if the company's match is good when economists suggest the poorest areas of the country require $35k/year to live without skipping meals, worrying about skipping gas/healthcare/grocery for another, wtc. This wage is less than that at ~31k at $15 or under $25k at $11 if you assume no holidays or time off or sick time.

and just STOP with the idea that the average employee is worth a $47K bonus LOL

Youre treating it as a "bonus" when its literally just profit sharing. Youre telling me investors provide more value to the store than all the employees? Come on lol. Its also not a 1 time bonus, its over 4 years. Their wage would increase from $11-21/hr to $16-26/hr. How would this not undoubtedly increase the local economy? People are suddenly able to afford things they couldnt before, or atleast save if they lose this job they have a net. This is a 25%-50% increase in pay just from one company's buybacks.

Its okay to hold your opinion, but rejecting it because you just hate people doesnt make it a good opinion

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

If they are making $31K in an area needing $35K, looks like its time to increase income, for short term get a side hustle and then improve skills.. this is very simple common sense

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u/Ill_Equal7560 4d ago

The average worker enabled Lowes to make that significant profit. Why are they not therefore worth that $47k bonus? Or at least able to share in the success that they created?

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 3d ago

They do, they get weekly paycheck... how is that so hard to grasp????

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u/Ill_Equal7560 3d ago

A weekly paycheck is not sharing in the success of the company. At least not above the binary measure of whether the company remains in business and the employer continues to have a job. A weekly paycheck is a simple exchange of money for labor.

The point is that the employees have enabled that success and there is plenty of money to reward them but it is directed to shareholders. It isn't a criticism of Lowes but capitalism in general. You work hard to enrich others.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

BTW--- the $15B buyback program has no deadline, so that could be a 4-5 year program.. so your numbers are garbage

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u/OrsilonSteel 5d ago

$9 bn was spent in 2021 alone, before they announced this in ‘22. They could have done my proposal 3 years ago, but gave $9 bn to an ever shrinking pool of investors.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

But again, their average employee doesn't bring that much value to the company... not hard to grasp

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

If the company didn't make a lot more money than they paid the employee, they cut the employee. This isn't a hard concept. Employees are one of the first costs to get cut at a company.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

So they are worth $20 an hour, not $20 an hour plus $47K bonus

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u/OrsilonSteel 5d ago

And their average investor does?

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

They deserve to make a profit

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u/kingjoey52a 5d ago

At any rate, 6% of $30,203 (the average salary of Lowes employees) is ~$1800

Don't forget Lowes has a 4% match when you contribute 6%.

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u/HustlinInTheHall 5d ago

I mean the options also aren't "give it away" or "buy up our own stock" there are far more valuable investments a company can make with excess capital right now, especially in an high interest environment. It's done because the CEO's primary role is to make the stock value go up because it improves the holding of the board whom they serve. It doesn't make the company healthier in any sustainable way.

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

Stock buybacks benefit those who are better off already disproportionately because it is percentage based growth, but the cost of living is a flat rate.

I mean... This is literally how compound growth works, yes, and is true not just of stock buybacks, but of stock price appreciation, bond coupons, or even simple bank interest. The more money you have the more you benefit from compound gains.

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

Your 6% of your 50k a year check is 3k.

Their "6%" of their millions and billions, is well.. millions and billions.

You will never get ahead. The system is rigged against you. They take your tiny money, and everyone elses, bundle it together to make some real money, and then go buyout Red Lobster and bankrupt it. They pay themselves millions of dollars in the process, stripmine a company into bankruptcy putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work, and you get a couple pennies.

Congrats.

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u/rawley2020 5d ago

$585 invested at the beginning of every month for 30 years (start at 35y/o and work till 65) will leave you with 1,000,000 assuming a 9% interest rate (average sp500 returns)

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u/BatThumb 5d ago

Oh dude you're so right, why don't the people struggling to afford every day cost of living just invest huge portions of their salary every month. Wow I think you've solved the financial crisis. They should give you a medal or something

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u/David-S-Pumpkins 5d ago

And nice that they never see an expense, too. No one rearends them or runs a red light, no bones broken or dental work or healthcare cost. No car maintenance despite working constantly. I can't believe people don't just do that every time.

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

How Many Americans Are Living Paycheck to Paycheck? A 2023 survey conducted by Payroll.org highlighted that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, a 6% increase from the previous year.

Yep, they certainly have an extra 7k laying around the house to invest every year.

You are delusional.

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-01/a-third-of-americans-making-250-000-say-costs-eat-entire-salary

And?

$250k a year represents the top 5% of earners. 1/3 of 5 is 1.65% of earners

Compared to 78%. And to be fair, if those people live in very high cost of living areas, think NYC or LA, and have families, they very well COULD be living close to check to check.

Your "gotcha" is not what you think it is.

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u/PrimaryInjurious 5d ago

My point is that "paycheck to paycheck" is a useless metric if 1/3 of those making $250K also qualify for it.

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u/garden_speech 5d ago

A 2023 survey conducted by Payroll.org highlighted that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck

This is, hands down, the most ridiculous thing that constantly gets repeated on reddit, and it isn't even remotely believable. We have Federal Reserve data on checking and savings account balances as well as family balance sheets, the median checking and savings balance is four figures, that's the 50th percentile. It simply is not true that nearly 80% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. It literally isn't.

If you actually look at how the survey was conducted, they asked a sample of people "how would you pay for an emergency" and if the person answered "with a credit card" instead of "with savings" they were counted as living paycheck to paycheck.

That is fucking stupid.

I would use a credit card for an emergency because I have credit cards on me all the time and don't have a debit card on me to use cash.

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u/I_Ski_Freely 5d ago

That's 7k a year. If you make less than $50k, and have kids, medical bills, or student loans, you're likely not left over with that much. That's half of people. Also, let's assume you have $1mil at age 65 (and always had continuous employment for the full 30 years)..

You forgot to count inflation, buddy.. that mil is only worth $411k in real terms at 3% inflation. Think you can live off that for 15-20 years? Oh and remember that when retired, it would be a bad idea to stay 100% vested in stocks. A bad recession could wipe out 20-30% and you ain't got time to recover while you're also spending it.

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u/JerseyJim31 5d ago

It's the worst system in the world, except for all the others.

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

So instead of being complacent with a broken system, why don't we try and improve it like we did in the past? We ended up on this system because the other systems didn't work. This one isn't working either. So let's fix it.

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u/Ordinary-Lobster-710 5d ago

i don't understand how it's possible all the asian kids of immigrants are now living in mansions after going to harvard but the system is rigged against you specifically

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u/Sufficient_Pause6738 5d ago

I know you think you just did something here, but lemme tell you why you are wrong. You are right that Asian Americans tend to do financially better than a lot of other immigrants, but have you heard of sum called selection bias? Follow me here - the majority of Asian Americans were able to immigrate to the US for higher education or they had a skillset deemed valuable enough for a visa (eg scientists often leave china to pursue greater academic freedom and funding). Do you know how most African American families got their start here? They were stolen from their homes, enslaved, and denied the very education and employment prospects that most Asian families START with in America. It’s not a 1:1 comparison, blood

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u/0000110011 5d ago

Your 6% of your 50k a year check is 3k.

Yes, but since your 401k deduction is before taxes, it doesn't actually take $3k out of your paychecks for the year.

You will never get ahead. The system is rigged against you.

No, you just make shittarded choices and then blame "the system" instead of admitting you fucked up. I've made massive progress in improving my life over the past decade and finally bought my first house right before I turned 39. Because I put in the effort to make smart choices and learned to prioritize long term goals over short term fun. You can do it too, but you'd rather dick around and then blame everyone else for your actions.

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u/saltymane 5d ago

You’re disconnected from reality. A lot of us are. It’s ok. Maybe try to be more open minded about how circumstances and just plain old luck actually play into how people end up where they are. I’m a different kind of asshole.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

How many of the people saying they can't afford 6% also smoke week and have a new Iphone?? Do Starbucks or Uber Eats at least once a week???

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

You can buy weed for $10.

You buy a new phone on a monthly plan. Because they don't have the money upfront to do so.

And now we are down to drinking coffee.

Go ahead with the avacado toast next, I love the greatest hits.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Thank you for telling me how dumb you are

Take that $10 of weed 15 times a month... $30 a month for phone payment and $100 a month for Starbucks... Invest that $280 each month into an index fund and do the math for 40 years

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u/pathofdumbasses 5d ago

Take that $10 of weed 15 times a month

People who are living paycheck to paycheck aren't buying $150 of weed a month

$30 a month for phone payment

Cool so how are they going to contact their job? Or get a job? Or maintain a job?

$100 a month for Starbucks

Yep, people are spending $100 a month on starbucks. for sure.

C'mon. Just say Avocado Toast. I know you want to. Hit em with the boot straps too. It feels so good. Just do it!

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u/303uru 5d ago

Jesus Christ you’re actually the avocado toast dipshit in real life.

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u/saltymane 5d ago

There are actual dumb people who will never function at a level that you or I do. I don’t think they should go without just because they’re dumb. What you find has worked for you is based on a lot more than just being smart.

You don’t have to be ultra rich to be disconnected. They certainly are, but plenty of us making six figures or less, but well above poverty, are entirely disconnected. A few people not saving because they smoke weed, drink Starbucks, and have the latest iPhone does NOT equal the majority of people out here barely able to afford to eat. Ffs

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u/Miso-7 5d ago

This.

It’s amazing how people waste so much money on streaming services, weed, Starbucks, fancy clothes, iPhones, new cars, etc.

Spending all their money trying to look like they have money.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

That would require people to take responsibility for their actions, do that and you cant blame the 1%.. the entitlement of the younger people is just jaw dropping

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u/JerseyJim31 5d ago

Exactly this. So you want to complain about how you can't save for your retirement. Who should be saving for you? How do you explain everyone who is saving? If you don't like a 401(k) or the stock market, fine, but come up with a plan that involves some sense of self sufficiency. The government can't give you anything it doesn't take from someone else.

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u/Ok_Cool_3381 5d ago

Tell us you've never had a real job without telling us you've never had a real job.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Been working for 30 years, but 15% into retirement the entire time

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u/mar78217 5d ago

And yet, you are still unhappy... (just a pun on your name)

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u/mr_mgs11 5d ago

Everyone in Fl made the shitty life choice to let their rent go up 30%+? Teacher made the shitty life choice to only make 47k in FL? Fuck off boot licking pig.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

My rent went up too, rather than cry about the wealthy, I chose to make more money... see how that works??

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u/lilymaxjack 5d ago

You buddy, are a cantaloupe

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Then keep in denial

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u/FtrIndpndntCanddt 5d ago

Who rewrote the rules of the game brainlet?!

I'm managed to save a LOT of money bcuz military then federal service. The options available to me were not available to most of my friends, family, peers.

You failing to see that reflects more on you than anyone else.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Its 6% LOL

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u/FtrIndpndntCanddt 5d ago

6% when you are already living below the poverty lines is a lot. What don't you understand?! Ex. I make $2500 a month. My bills and expenses cost $2600 a month. "it's just six pERceNt"

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Then you need to make more...

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u/FtrIndpndntCanddt 5d ago

When 60% of the population doesn't make enough, and middle class debt is higher than every, and birthrates are falling, and the middle class is shrinking, and the richest 3% are making more money now than ever, and companies are more productive now than ever, and individual workers are more educated and more productive now than ever, and CEO pay is higher than ever, but the average person still can make ends meet....

The problem is SYSTEMATIC. What I don't get is why people like you have the boots of the wealthy so far down your throats VOLUNTARILY.

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u/Perspective_of_None 5d ago

Omfg you are out of touch.

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u/myfunnies420 5d ago

Oof, too much empathy in a single comment. Pace yourself, don't want to blow all of it at once (/sarcasm - you're an unempathetic dick)

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u/An_educated_dig 5d ago

Listen cupcake, I grew up in the burbs, went to college, both parents retired, just like many others. I went into construction after college and have been in Line Work for a decade. I cannot tell you how many times I've had to explain to both young and old about saving for retirement, especially the difference between a 401k and a Roth 401.

You have no idea how many people are out there just unaware and uneducated on finances and retirement. A number of them don't trust banks and would rather save their money, have cash in hand.

In your mind, you are right, but you also lack a great deal of perspective.

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u/David-S-Pumpkins 5d ago

Patently false.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Absolutely true

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u/David-S-Pumpkins 5d ago

It genuinely isn't and you either know that and are lying or are so incredibly privileged you have no clue how the world works or how to read statistics. It's such a dumb fucking statement I'm embarrassed for you and I don't even know you.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Privileged??? I am a school teacher, but live within my means and always have, put 15% of my earnings into retirement and haven been for about 30 years.. You are whining about the notion of a person saving a small portion of their wages for retirements, and I am the dumb one??? Your generation is so fucked because they are so stupid as a whole

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u/Srsly_You_Dumb 4d ago

Says teacher that can't even read. Lmao

Just to clarify, I don't see you are privileged. I see you as trash beneath me. What a pathetic life you have.

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u/bitofadikdik 5d ago

Cool way to say you’re shit at basic common sense. And math.

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u/ATLKing24 5d ago

Some people are born into shitty lives, you asshole. Not everyone is lucky enough to even have upward mobility in their life

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u/lesslucid 5d ago

When will people learn to stop being born into the bottom decile of the income distribution??

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Keep making excuses

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u/lesslucid 5d ago

Like the way you keep making excuses for a system that perpetuates exploitation, needless suffering and environmental destruction for the sake of the ego gratification of a few who are born lucky? "Nah bro, those trash pickers in Nigeria could have been just as successful as Bezos, they just made poor choices bro! Doing anything at all to improve things would just be communism!!"

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

This is a great country, anyone can do anything they want.. you choose to be an entitled bitch wanting things handed to you

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u/StandardOk42 5d ago

if you have to work for a living then you're not wealthy. the truly wealthy couldn't care less about a 401k, it's like bothering to pick up a penny

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

Are you so entitled that your mind doesn't operate properly??? The wealthy are living in your head rent free because you want to be them so bad.. I spend zero amount of time thinking about them..

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u/StandardOk42 4d ago

you're making a lot of assumptions

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u/Luemas91 5d ago

Maybe if you weren't so judgemental of other people you wouldn't be an unhappy local dawg.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 5d ago

My username was just a burner account name

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u/Luemas91 5d ago

Maybe you should've made better choices in life then

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

I am fine, retire in about 10 years and will live comfortable, always worked careers I enjoyed..

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u/tittyman_nomore 5d ago

"I did it so everyone else can" mentality at work. There's some merit to it, but applying these generalizations over people is often repeated and incorrect. It isn't a shit choice to take the job available to you and it doesn't make you stupid if they don't offer a 401k program. It isn't a shit choice to spend your money on things you value vs. something you don't. It isn't a shit choice to not have been taught financial independence or to have been born in a world where no peer had it either. It's not a shit choice to be poor.

It is a great choice to invest as much as you can into a 401k or whatever tool you have. The absence of funds to or making great financial choices in general doesn't make your other choices shit, though. It makes you human.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

Its 2024, if you were not taught financial literacy before, teach yourself today!!!

Don't have enough funds??? Figure out a path to increase your income

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u/Global_Lock_2049 4d ago

This is extemely tone deaf and shows zero understanding of what some people are getting paid. Just because I can afford a retirement plan and what not, it's extemely naive and ignorant of me to assume someone at a different job can do so.

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u/AllUrUpsAreBelong2Us 4d ago

I'd like this to apply to the offspring of the rich. No more inheritance, you gotta make it all on your own, otherwise it's just "shit life choices".

This guy wanted to play that game: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/millionaire-who-made-himself-homeless-32636079

He lost badly.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

LOL, dumb concept.. now wanting to control what people do with their own assets lol

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u/AllUrUpsAreBelong2Us 4d ago

Technically people don't own the currency in their own pocket, so....

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u/jb31969 4d ago

Based and true

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u/strawberrypants205 4d ago

"6% of your income" isn't going to do shit - all of that is going to be stolen through fees alone.

"401K" is a fucking scam - no investment firm is every going to allow the poors to get a slice of the rich man's money. It doesn't matter how much money you put in - if you're not of the correct class, you're not getting anything back out.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 4d ago

Fees for my fund are .02% while gaining around 10% for the last several years... you clearly know nothing about investing... your ignorance is astounding... I have never made more than $70K a year in my primary job, yet have a 401K worth nearly $2M and farmland worth over $1M...

But hey, you keep making excuses lol

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u/strawberrypants205 4d ago

You're obviously in "the club" - no one else is allowed those returns. The "funds" they're allowed to buy have 10% fees and haven't made more than bank interest their entire existence.

It's not that I "know nothing about investing" - it's that I see though the bullshit and advertising (but I repeat myself) and see the scam that's actually running.

And I have absolutely no reason to believe any of your personal figures. Would you believe me if I said I was a millionaire based on the sale of a patent? Of course not - no matter how true or false it is.

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u/AlienKinkVR 3d ago

It's so wild to me when people think "I want Americans who have worked jobs that exist in society (therefore we deem them to be valuable, people buy tons of cheeseburgers so fast food gigs are needed jobs, people want nice coffee so there need to be baristas, etc)) to starve and avoid the hospital. Fuck them, they need to work until their dying day without retirement or dignity, I hope they suffer and feel terrible." The brainwashing here is so crazy.

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u/Unhappy_Local_9502 3d ago

They still need to stash away 6% at least from the start

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u/Heavy-Low-3645 5d ago

47% of the country directly and 97% of pensions have some exposure to the stock market so that would be.... yeah everyone

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u/f7f7z 5d ago

How many people do you think have pensions? Less than 15%, of those people, I'd bet all of them are part of that 47%. <Guess who can't afford a 401k at all? That'd be 53% of the population, because they can't afford to save or their jobs don't have the option. You know, the poors that you hate.

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u/N7Panda 5d ago

Ok, now do ownership. How much stock do the wealthy hold vs the average 401k? If I had time guess, I’d bet it’s around a 90% - 10% split

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u/Generation__Why 5d ago

21% of Americans have a traditional pension according the garbage internet article below. So when you say everyone you mean 1 out of 5 adults. This is why people view the wealthy as self interested liars manipulating the system while gaslighting everyone.

https://smartasset.com/retirement/average-retirement-savings-are-you-normal

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u/Jaegernaut- 5d ago

You do realize that a pension is categorically different than a 401k, right?

No?

Hmm. Maybe this explains some things about your baseless cringe assumptions.

The maximum contribution to any 401k plan in 2024 is $23,000. 

Maybe you can make that, maybe you can't, what you will not do without being challenged is conflate $23k per annum of retirement savings with being "rich".

The average home price also in 2024 in the US is $420k. That's just over 18 years of maximal contributions. If you are lucky, your investment over that 18 years will beat inflation. Probably. Maybe.

By how much? Who the fuck knows. The stock market is blatantly rigged in favor of institutional investors, not your average white collar joe.

So when you take the time to open your mouth and whine about the inane concept of "mehhh, if you have a 401k then you're rich", remember that the actual rich people out there make 10,000 times your take home and couldn't give less than a squirrel's shit 🐿️ about something as tiny and restrictive as a 23k 401k.

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u/highanxiety-me 5d ago

People don’t grasp such simple concepts.

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u/king_of_the_dwarfs 5d ago

I once worked at a place. We got a 2.5% COL raise. I had to explain to one of the supervisors exactly how much that was.

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u/HEFTYFee70 5d ago

There are federal regulations that limit the amount of money executives can contribute to their 401k’s vs their employees.

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u/tamasan 5d ago

Oh no, they'll need to put it into their brokerage accounts and pay long term capital gains taxes on the profits! Whatever will they do when the lost profits from the taxes don't let them buy their third vacation home?

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u/I_Ski_Freely 5d ago

No, they'll keep it invested, take out loans with it as collateral and basically never pay taxes on the increase in wealth.

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u/HEFTYFee70 5d ago

You literally described a situation where the rich are taxed more… I’m not sure what you want at this point.

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u/RobfromHB 5d ago

Whatever you say they'll troll you the other direction. It honestly doesn't matter past a certain point. Don't take it too seriously.

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u/accruedainterest 5d ago

People who aren’t productive in society? Aka those who have jobs?

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u/lostaga1n 5d ago

Yea man I make shit money and support a family and am nearly paycheck to paycheck and have a 401k lol

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u/Whatisausern 5d ago

The way I frame it to myself is I can't afford to not pay into my pension.

Sure I could really use that money now, but the fact it's matched (I'm really lucky and pay 10% and employer gives 12.75%) means if I don't pay the max matched amount I'm literally throwing free money away. I can't afford to throw money away.

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u/lostaga1n 5d ago

I definitely agree, it’s mandatory at my job and I thought it was stupid at first then learned more about 401ks and investing and realized how great it was. We’re only allowed the mandatory amount (3%) but the employer matches 9% I believe. It’s added up pretty quickly and 15-20 years worth will be a great help at retirement. I’m going to open up a IRA pretty soon and contribute about 10% of my income once my sons old enough for school and we have two incomes again.

My parents didn’t plan for retirement and are now struggling and if it wasn’t for them being able to buy their house’s young and get them paid off I’m not sure what they’d be doing right now. I want to enjoy my retirement and not work until I’m dead.

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u/wkramer28451 5d ago

What do you consider to be “rich”? Is 1 million “rich”? Or is anyone who has more money than you because of working hard and saving “rich”?

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u/Traditional_Lab_5468 5d ago

... I earn the median income for my state and max my 401k.

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u/Medium-Interview-465 5d ago

I wonder how much $ they spend on fucking tats and cell phones instead of investing in a 401K? I am not rich bit always put in my 401K, its common sense. That YOLO lifestyle is why they don't have shit, too bad.

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u/pharrigan7 5d ago

If you have a job where a 401k is available and you are not taking advantage of it you are not real smart and deserve what you get.

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u/VortexMagus 5d ago

So what about those jobs that don't offer 401ks at all? You know, those jobs that tens of millions of people in our economy work? lol.


Because I agree with you. I have a retirement account and I put money into it. But I've worked other jobs before and not all of them offer retirement benefits, and even the ones which offered retirement benefits liked to play games about it - eligibility restrictions like full-time employees only, no part timers or subcontractors allowed.

Or movement restrictions so that you're not allowed to roll it over into a new account if you ever leave the job. Etc and so forth.

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u/katie4 5d ago

Then you open and max an IRA. My husband and I both worked for a small business that didn’t offer a 401k for 12 and 10 years respectively. We maxed our IRAs and also contributed monthly to a brokerage. It’s not tax advantaged but it is savings and it does grow by 7-10% and is sitting pretty and healthy in 2024. You’ve gotta play whatever hand you’ve been given with whatever tools you can find.

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u/MadDogTannenOW 5d ago

Do rich ppl use 401ks?

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u/VortexMagus 5d ago

Jeff Bezos sure did. I doubt he manages it himself, probably pays an accountant to do it, but he certainly did max it.

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