Where I live that's definitely the case. I know very few people in their 20s and early 30s with kids. The ones that do are either from wealthy backgrounds or are on government assistance. No one in between is having kids.
I wish more people would say this. I have tried to have kids naturally. I can’t and I can’t afford treatments or adoption because those are crazy expensive. Our friends were trying to get people to donate 60k to them so they can adopt from overseas. That is nuts!
Totally. After a few years of working I broke 100k last year and now I’m feeling like I need to make 150k to have the lifestyle I dreamt up in my head. Nevertheless, I am grateful and need to take a step back and stop wanting so much I guess.
I’ve made way less than $100k and way more than $100k. It’s pretty easy to exist on $40k/year. Most people have more spending problems than they do earning problems.
@@starspaceschool587 It's not very easy to exist on 40k a year unless you have friends or family. Or want to live in an area where you get shot at everyday on your way to work.
$74k is homeless living in California whether you try to rent or dream of buying a home. The middle class is dead due to inflation and housing affordability.
Wife & I make 130K together - I personally think its crazy for anyone with a similar income to own a 400K home - In our opinion based off where we live 250-325K will get you a nice home in a nice neighborhood that has 3+ bed & 2+ baths - but like Andrei said its all based off opinion Also having Kids is crazy expensive - half our budget goes to day care food clothes etc - Forget owning a home - This country is making it so hard for the average person to have a family let alone a home
Make a similar amount but in a VHOCL area. Not sure if we will ever own a home which is depressing. Many of my friends are questioning whether they can ever afford a family.
Interesting seeing something around my salary have such a different result. Single income, kids but never had child care since my wife worked only occasionally. Clothes are cheap (thrift largely), food was our weakness but didn't eat more than $800 of the budget. Most expensive house was $600k but we worked up to that and are now moving back down the expensive house ladder. All depends on where you choose to live and waiting to upgrade until you could afford it. Also not trying to buy things new. I drove garbage vehicles until recently.
I ran the numbers last year when my husband went on sabbatical and learned we would only need an income of $80k/year to support us both in our current lifestyle. We rent in midsize a New England city, but I ran the numbers again because we do want to be homeowners and realized our base costs would require a minimum household income of ~$98k/year. A mortgage in our area is actually more expensive than what we pay in rent, plus maintenance fund, plus increased utilities. I really do think that "the powers that be" are trying to create a renter nation.
@@centuryfreudHaving buckets of money is separate from having a house. I know plenty of people who are house-poor and a whole building of rich renters
Do you think all millionaires are upper class? Many millionaires wouldn’t even be accepted by upper class, and many working class are millionaires by virtue of their property.
@@BF1GUN he makes in excess of a $ 1 million dollars per year via youtube. Graham stephan makes 5m+ a year and is a similar level creator. Stop simping
There is no luck involved in finding a cheaper place to live, even in higher cost of living urban centers. There is just perserverence and a willingness to compromise.
That’s correct, in California household income of at least 258k is needed. I live with my boyfriend and with both of our incomes we are considered middle class. We are able to vacation but I don’t know how in the world we are supposed to afford children or a wedding 😂 We are going to have to stop vacationing.
My parents bought their house around 1967 for $10k and I bought my house in the same neighborhood for $76k in 2004. I’m single, was making maybe $50k at the time I bought my house, and bought what I could afford. It wasn’t my dream house, but I’m very glad I bought it because it is paid off now. Andrei mentioned how some of us chase after the things everyone else is chasing after. That is key. Most of the time, people want what is new and what their peers have or want. If you can do your own thing, you may just come out better for it.
Where do you live though? Because I can not imagine a neighborhood where a house is only 160k nowadays. Is it safe? Are there things to do around you? Do you have to own a car? What’s the social life/community like?
The people who make 10K a year, but consider themselves "upper class" are probably people who don't need to work because their parents pay for everything/they come from wealth!
Andrei I want to thank you (for the 100th time) for your videos. Even when the information is scary, the way you present it is so digestible and somehow, comforting. Coming from someone who knows nothing at all about investing or money, your content is something I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to learning from. Here's to more in 2024!
I don't understand why anyone who's a multi millionaire would still live in America at this point it's obvious where this country is going and how hard things are going to be going forward
Where are you going to go? The whole western world is in decline. Japan and Korea are both going to be in crisis just because of their shockingly low birth rates.
It depends on where you live and cost of living, making 50k in mississipi is considered upper middle class cause cost of living is low. Just as making 100k in san jose is considered poverty level and allows you to get food stamps.
FYI $500-600 a month grocery bill for a single individual is VERY realistic now due to huge price increases the last year (unless someone eats only rive, beans, and no protein).
Yeah even 15 years ago $125 was my budget yet I only at Kool-Aid, Sugar, Spaghetti Sauce and Noodles and Vitamins as staples!!!! So today it would likely cost about $200 minimum if not more for all the same stuff!!!
@donaldlyons17 If you work hard to budget you can spend $250/ month on the grocery store as a single individual in the wealthy suburb of Washington DC I live in. But it's hard to keep it that low. $350 is much more comfortable. $600 though that's... a lot of waste or something. Idk how a single person would spend that much on groceries. Combining in restaurant food sure it's easy to surpass that though
@@VioletEmerald depends what your diet and caloric intake needs are. For a smaller female frame I could see possibly $350 being reasonable however adding an extra thousand calories per day for a male physique means increasing that dollar amount by roughly 1.5× (also usually more protein = $$).
Much like everyone else is saying here, it’s highly dependent on a lot of factors. I live in a medium-cost area in the Rust Belt and I’m able to keep my grocery spending monthly as a single woman to about $200/mo minimum if I’m frugal, $300/mo if I’m being more lavish. Most rents in my area are above $1200/mo for context. I focus on staples and get creative with spices and making sure I use everything before I buy something else.
My favorite part of your video is where you talk about where you and your family came from and what inspired you to learn. So much of financial skills comes down to people’s behavior and choices. I’m glad you read and studied and it’s paying off for you.
@@Earthly_Being ha! I wish! No, this is the first time I’ve commented on one of his videos. I like the more personal comments he made which is why I said what I did.
Well did you ever see his numbers on average so you can decide if it was behavior or math that got him to where he is now? You should also question how something worked by asking for rough numbers to see the truth because as long as they "talk" it could be anything behind it. NUMBERS DON"T LIE AND HE NEVER SHOWED HIS NUMBERS ON AVERAGE!!!! For example I averaged 4K to 6K per year excess over a 5 year period BUT I owed 35K from before. Notice I am showing you the math but a ever better way to make everything clear: 14K for everything 20K net after tax income (Year). It does not have to be super accurate but notice as far as I am aware he never published something similar!!!!!
My earlier videos show all the numbers and math. Started saving in 2012, by 2014 I had 30k saved up, then I saved 50% of my 50k a year income for 4 more years, that turned to about $200k by 2019, that’s when I started TH-cam :)
Great video Andrej. I can relate to you. I am from Holland and the Dutch are known for being frugal. In 1995 I came to this country with no penny to my name. My wife and I started working as physical therapists for 18 $ an hour. We bought our house five years later and paid it of within 10 years. I religiously pay towards my 401k the max amount. We didn’t care what class we were in but our two kids have no college debt and graduated without going to fancy universities.The secret to building wealth is to have no debt. Pay off credit cards, pay off your house as quick as possible, stay away from fancy colleges and don’t keep up with the Joneses.
I needed that reality check. A lot of us have a bad habit of moving the goal line. We need to appreciate what we have and not window shop for everyone else's life style.
I’m a single person no kids and I get ZERO back on taxes. 3-4 years ago I’d get like 2,000 dollars back. It was always something I looked forward to and now the last several years my taxes (done professionally) are always perfect. I don’t owe and i don’t get anything back . What the actual F, America.
What you get back after filing your taxes depends on how much of your income was withheld compared to how much tax you need to pay for the year. If you want a check after filing taxes, ask your employer to withhold more money from your paycheck.
You know also the tax percentages haven’t increased either? Biden actually expanded the salary ranges within the lower tax brackets due to inflation. Tax rates are at a historical low. The amount you got back is based on how much withheld, not any change from government tax brackets. Also, it’s better to owe or not get anything back. If you’re getting a large refund, that was essentially an interest free loan to the government and those are funds that you could’ve otherwise invested throughout the year
If the person spending $300-$500 a month on groceries is also eating out, and the person who’s spending $600 a month is not eating out, then the person spending more on groceries may be spending less on food overall. I just know a lot of people who don’t spend much on groceries but who order takeout all the time.
Exactly, ain’t no one spending less than 400 a month on groceries, even if I made home cooked meals every day, that would be a 100$ haul every week. That statistic for groceries is bs
@@ThruTheWire2 literally that bad. I cook for myself every day so I can hit certain macros. In 2019 I was spending 400 a month on a Research assistant salary at university. The exact same stuff.
Because the US is a big place, this conversation is pointless without localizing it. I appreciate that Andrei said location matters a lot (a couple of times around 5:00). In short, the income needed to be “middle class” or own a home etc is determined by the same three things that matter in real estate: _location, location, location._
Why do we call it a ‘car payment’? It’s a finance cost or loan repayment. This language makes people think it is normal, in the rest of the world it’s not normal to have a never ending cycle of debt for an item. Call it what it is, debt, and do what you can to get out of it
Yes! A car payment is 100% debt. Just like a housing payment is 100% debt. I once heard someone say that as long as they’re making their credit card minimum payments they’re “debt free” 😂
middle class is so broadly defined because they people who are upper middle class or above have a bad habit of becoming more in debt, therefore they never truly move up the scale.
I truly understood what you were trying to say 😢 ! You were really inspired to inspire those who truly want to live their best life within their economic means of living and to seek happiness without being in debt and truly live life with what they can afford. Like they say: We want champagne money when we are living in a beer budget. 😂❤ Love ya Andrei!!! Thanks for inspiring all of us!
I’m single I barely eat at restaurants and I don’t buy a lot of groceries and I’m currently temporarily located in a “affordable red southern state” my groceries are easily 750 a month. I spend about 200 on coffee and takeout.
This can’t be real. I’m in Michigan with a family of four which includes two teenage sons and my wife and I. We spend right around $1000/month on groceries and all household supplies. Add maybe another $100/month on eating away from home. Not sure how a single person could spend $950
Middle class is owning your own home, being able to have kids you put through college if you want to, being able to afford retirement, insurance and an annual vacation. If you can't do all that, you're getting screwed!
Andrei you are an inspiration to watch. This is coming from a millionaire next door approaching 70. Keep up the great content and happy new year and wish you much success going forward.
@@TVHouseHistorian currently in my province of Canada there’s a strike for nurses and teachers and it’s messing up the whole system imagine if everyone from every sector of work did this it would restart everything and billionaires would loose a lot and governments as well forcing them to start everything over
@@momsspaghetti4504 luxuries only so no over shopping, no splurging on non essentials food like groceries are ok just no restaurants, no events no shopping for clothes when you already have it and also if you really want to shake things up pull all your money out of your bank accounts
middle class defined by income is just dependent on where you live. when i lived in Indiana, i lived VERY comfortably with a 50k salary. Now in Seattle, with a 103k salary seems so unaffordable. it's relative.
4:53 no! If you live in San Francisco or Honolulu or manhattan and do anything above minimum wage, it will be much higher wage than someone who works in West Virginia or a rural central location. Cost of living is 2x or more depending on where you live, so while 35k can get you by in half of the US, you’d be nearly homeless in expensive zip codes! I’d say 60k is the cheap half and 150k in expensive half for an individual yo be stepping into middle class! Middle class as you can save money, take vacation and some money left for hobbies and fun. European lifestyle would be middle class. If you have more than one foreign vacation and a luxury car and two houses, I’d say you’re going beyond middle class!
No amount of not buying avocado toasts(better decisions) is gonna save the majority of us from the dying throws of late stage capitalism..but ok i guess😅
It is going in wide steps to Worlds Economics Forums agenda: "U will own nothing but will be happy" rent rent rent.. and all your money goes to mega institutional share holders as Blackstone what is owned by Blackrock and Vanguard.. who are buying out living fund.. hundreds of thousands of homes ...
According to the US census bureau, the US is expected to have a net 1.4 million increase in population in 2024. This factors in birth rates, death rates, and net migration. Where are these people going to live? There's already a housing shortage.
only 1.4 million increase?? That's nothing. In fact, we should be grateful for the population growth. Look at Japan and most other first world countries in Europe. Many are having a population crises.
@justin_4352 A vast majority of the expected increase in population is due to net migration. But, the current birth rate is higher than the death rate. Take a look at the Census Bureau data yourself.
What does it mean to "feel middle class"? It seems like people believe being middle class means you own a home and a car and never have to budget... I don't think there was ever a time in American history where that was true of the middle class.
The most annoying thing about being in any class is state and federal income taxes. It’s draining to financial freedom. Not to mention paying sales taxes and property taxes. Here’s a “crazy” idea. Regardless of your income you pay 10% and overtime can’t be taxed.
This is the only way to save America. Drain the swamp by not paying them. If we cut revenue by 70% that means a lot of people have to get real jobs and not government jobcations.
I make 89K, and it’s not enough with three kids where I live. I don’t even consider us middle class anymore. I can’t imagine how people making 60K or less are even making it.
I make less than that, am single, own my own house and had $500 left over each month to invest but bought a wrangler so only have about $100 left over now. I rarely go out to eat. But cost of living here isn't too bad.
Why do we need three classes? Working class and non Working class is so much more accurate and useful than having three classes. The barrier is also much more well defined. Where does the majority of your income come from? If it comes from your time you are working class, if your money generates more money than your time, you are non working class. No matter how poor or rich you are, does not determine how financially sustainable your life is or the quality of your life.
yea seriously! I make good money now or at least I thought I did. I always tell my friend. If we made what we made now 10 years ago. We are doing very well!
Just hold on. The housing market is slow to change, but it does. A house is a long-term purchase, so it's well worth it to wait and keep saving until the time is right. Your patience could easily translate to $100,000s in value.
You keep mentioning that people “choose” to live in NY, Cali or other HCOL areas. I think it’s easy to say that when you’re a TH-camr. For the rest of us, we choose places based on employment prospects. NY, Cali, Chicago, Boston, etc. are where A LOT jobs are at. A lot of employers are forcing hybrid or complete in-office, even in tech. I can’t work in the middle of nowhere America. We’re currently trying to find a 3bd/2ba for no more than $650k(if we’re lucky)on the outskirts of Boston. Our jobs are tied to Boston hence why we’re settling down in Boston. Thankfully we both earn roughly $370k/yr together which definitely helps, but I would not live in Boston if I didn’t have to
Literally 🙄 people really blame people for living where they live as if they really have a choice. If you move to the middle of nowhere where prices are affordable, how do you pay for it? When there are hardly any jobs out there and wages are lower. If everyone moved to those areas suddenly, they would be complaining that costs are rising too quickly, as evidenced with that has been happening with remote workers migrating to more affordable areas. Like cmon people.
180k salary needed to qualify for a loan for the average house in Australia and the population ponzi keeps pushing it up. Looking like 10 per house will be the new first world standard....the great reset?
@@thekingspin9846 don't always trust the news mate. But even if that's the case. Most people are close to that as couples. If it's single well yeah it's been that way for like ever.
@@PleasePaintHighElves Mate I never trust the news but this data is easy to find.....Average house $926,899 salary = $182,434 Average unit $659,130 salary = $129,731 Analysis of CoreLogic data. Calculations based on the average variable home loan interest rate, a 80% loan-to-value ratio with a 20% deposit, and 30% of gross income as the threshold for mortgage stress.
I make 86k as a retiree with a DB pension. I think it is terrible what Gen Z believes. No debts, a beautiful condo in an expensive city. Money doesn't go far anymore.
I have a friend in the philippines. That makes 260 Peso's a day Which is roughly a dollar $1.20 us. There's real poverty in the world A majority of the world lives off a dollar a day. We should be thankful for what we have but strive for better always.
Thank you for being part of my learning and development journey in 2023! For sure I’ve captured a lot of useful tips and tricks about life and financials ❤ .. Keep it up Andrew 💪🏽
I'm from Mexico, I work in tech and I can save around 2500 usd a month and live with only 1k usd (making around 4k tax-free, no kids), the american dream is a bad joke now, even for mexicans.
The middle class is being hollowed out. You can just say that. You don't even need to get into politics about it. I think we all know we're getting screwed here.
the fact that it requires being extremely careful and living with a roommate to gain any kind of wealth as someone in the new middle class shows how bad it is. Good luck being a middle class family.
I totally went back to the beginning of the video to see where that jack of clubs went....and failed. I don't watch this channel for the magic tricks, but I'm not going to lie, I always look forward to seeing them! Great content Andrei!
And most people make 12 an hour. Mellineals called this long ago and were ready with solutions. Then we got called lazy for being the only ones trying.
I’m not sure 130k being middle class is “shocking” I mean what did we think was middle class? It’s certainly not poor and it’s certainly not wealthy… so yea. “Middle” great information otherwise; I’m just not sure what people expect in 2024 lol
Man I watch your videos all the time 2020 was great year cause of you so thank you for that I'm definitely hoping to make some changes it's not easy but we can do it if you truly want it anything is possible hope we all have great year because it's not easy out here but please don't give up happy new years
I tell everyone I'm part of the upper Lower Class. I have a high networth compared to my friends by a large margin but I make less than the median income here in the top 10 most expensive city 😅
The new symbol of wealth is no longer having that extra car or a vacation cabin. It's being able to have kids.
Literally
Where I live that's definitely the case. I know very few people in their 20s and early 30s with kids. The ones that do are either from wealthy backgrounds or are on government assistance. No one in between is having kids.
I wish more people would say this. I have tried to have kids naturally. I can’t and I can’t afford treatments or adoption because those are crazy expensive. Our friends were trying to get people to donate 60k to them so they can adopt from overseas. That is nuts!
Or the reverse: a sign of poverty …
It is being being able to have kids with a decent living.
As a kid, I thought $100k was the max you could make. Or at least that's it, you've "made it." Now it feels like that's the base amount to exist
Totally. After a few years of working I broke 100k last year and now I’m feeling like I need to make 150k to have the lifestyle I dreamt up in my head. Nevertheless, I am grateful and need to take a step back and stop wanting so much I guess.
I’ve made way less than $100k and way more than $100k. It’s pretty easy to exist on $40k/year. Most people have more spending problems than they do earning problems.
@@dm96177, the government taxes hard, especially if you got zero dependents to claim.
@@starspaceschool587 definitely lifestyle creep is very real the more you make
@@starspaceschool587 It's not very easy to exist on 40k a year unless you have friends or family. Or want to live in an area where you get shot at everyday on your way to work.
$74k is homeless living in California whether you try to rent or dream of buying a home. The middle class is dead due to inflation and housing affordability.
💯
No it is not. Just be better at budgeting. Don’t eat out. Get rid of the car if needed, you will be fine.
@@pearla4731 get rid of the car in California? lol. ok.
They need to get corporations out of single family homes
Is that gross or net?
Wife & I make 130K together - I personally think its crazy for anyone with a similar income to own a 400K home - In our opinion based off where we live 250-325K will get you a nice home in a nice neighborhood that has 3+ bed & 2+ baths - but like Andrei said its all based off opinion
Also having Kids is crazy expensive - half our budget goes to day care food clothes etc - Forget owning a home - This country is making it so hard for the average person to have a family let alone a home
Make a similar amount but in a VHOCL area. Not sure if we will ever own a home which is depressing. Many of my friends are questioning whether they can ever afford a family.
I make a similar amount in a very LCOL area. Very hard to find a half decent home under $300k.
Median homes in my neighborhood used to sell for 250-300k in 2016, now those same homes are on the market for 700-900k. Basically impossible.
Interesting seeing something around my salary have such a different result. Single income, kids but never had child care since my wife worked only occasionally. Clothes are cheap (thrift largely), food was our weakness but didn't eat more than $800 of the budget.
Most expensive house was $600k but we worked up to that and are now moving back down the expensive house ladder. All depends on where you choose to live and waiting to upgrade until you could afford it. Also not trying to buy things new. I drove garbage vehicles until recently.
Make almost the same. Syracuse NY. It's absolutely ridiculous
I ran the numbers last year when my husband went on sabbatical and learned we would only need an income of $80k/year to support us both in our current lifestyle. We rent in midsize a New England city, but I ran the numbers again because we do want to be homeowners and realized our base costs would require a minimum household income of ~$98k/year. A mortgage in our area is actually more expensive than what we pay in rent, plus maintenance fund, plus increased utilities. I really do think that "the powers that be" are trying to create a renter nation.
Of course. When you own, the wealthy of the home is in your pocket. When you rent, the wealth is in oligarchs pocket...for the rest of your life.
"you will own nothing & you'll like it" -Klaus
@@davidknightxhaha. That's an illusion. Very few people manage to capitalize on that "wealth". It's just a ploy to make people feel rich.
@@rangerdoc1029 I'm rich! Do you accept payments in portions of front porch?
@@rayzerotHave you seen lumber prices during the pandemic? Your front porch is probably priceless!
Thank you for stating that you don’t need to own a home to become wealthy. I didn’t realize how badly I needed someone to say that.
Watch Grant Cardone’s content. He says that all the time. And also makes some great points as to why that’s true!
Respectfully disagree. Lock in a mortgage when rates are low.
Indeed. Home ownership is just one avenue to wealth. It's the most common, but certainly not the only means.
Home ownership is the new student loan scam. You're told it's an investment, yet you find it just keeps you in debt your whole life.
@@centuryfreudHaving buckets of money is separate from having a house. I know plenty of people who are house-poor and a whole building of rich renters
Andrei acting like he’s middle class when he’s a millionaire is funny
Do you think all millionaires are upper class?
Many millionaires wouldn’t even be accepted by upper class, and many working class are millionaires by virtue of their property.
@@BF1GUN he makes in excess of a $ 1 million dollars per year via youtube. Graham stephan makes 5m+ a year and is a similar level creator. Stop simping
@@LinedFury So what? Why does it bother you?
Millionaires are by definition NOT middle class.
Not true, if you are retired and worked a regular job, saved really well, you can still be middle class.
“Those making 200k make bad choices like staying in high cost of living cities.”
Did it ever occur to you that the 200k salary is location dependent?
Correct. Where I live now in the south, making just slightly over 100k is comparable to making about 200k in San Francisco.
There is no luck involved in finding a cheaper place to live, even in higher cost of living urban centers. There is just perserverence and a willingness to compromise.
There’s gotta be a huge crash coming. The majority of American can’t afford these inflated prices.
Unfortunately I don’t think there will be for a while… it’s just gonna keep going up and up for a while longer
Yeah Bidenomics!
@@TheMatadore we need a new president! Matadore for Pres!!
There will be a pause in price increase but impossible for price to come down.
2024 is gonna get wild. Buckle up everyone.
Prior covid, in most places , $50-60 k a year was a nice wage..
I can certainly feel the difference in a 4 year timespan.
@@TheHamgamer almost as if Covid was a speed run of us entering a digital age..
It still is lol you just need more if you really want to live comfortably and have a family/home etc
Groceries, rent, energy all went up like 40% since then. Those $1200 stimulus checks cost everyone like 5-10 K a year.
Yup 👍🏽
If we use this formula, with average home prices in CA being $1M, middle class would be $258k/yr. This actually sounds fairly accurate, surprisingly.
Where I live (San Francisco), you are considered "low income" if your yearly individual income is $104k or lower 😭
That’s correct, in California household income of at least 258k is needed. I live with my boyfriend and with both of our incomes we are considered middle class. We are able to vacation but I don’t know how in the world we are supposed to afford children or a wedding 😂 We are going to have to stop vacationing.
My parents bought their house around 1967 for $10k and I bought my house in the same neighborhood for $76k in 2004. I’m single, was making maybe $50k at the time I bought my house, and bought what I could afford. It wasn’t my dream house, but I’m very glad I bought it because it is paid off now. Andrei mentioned how some of us chase after the things everyone else is chasing after. That is key. Most of the time, people want what is new and what their peers have or want. If you can do your own thing, you may just come out better for it.
possibly the most sensible post here
How much is that house worth now?
@@stk_n_chill My parents' house is worth $157k now and mine is worth $158.8k.
Where do you live though? Because I can not imagine a neighborhood where a house is only 160k nowadays. Is it safe? Are there things to do around you? Do you have to own a car? What’s the social life/community like?
The people who make 10K a year, but consider themselves "upper class" are probably people who don't need to work because their parents pay for everything/they come from wealth!
Yea I was thinking the same, most likely living from their passive income / investments!
@@AndreiJikh yes! I guess that also could be people in retirement, etc.
Or welfare
Andrei I want to thank you (for the 100th time) for your videos. Even when the information is scary, the way you present it is so digestible and somehow, comforting. Coming from someone who knows nothing at all about investing or money, your content is something I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to learning from. Here's to more in 2024!
Thanks Ally! You're too kind, appreciate you! 2024 here we gooooo
In the USA I’ve met lots of ppl that call themselves middle class and they can barely pay their bills
I don't understand why anyone who's a multi millionaire would still live in America at this point it's obvious where this country is going and how hard things are going to be going forward
Where are you going to go? The whole western world is in decline. Japan and Korea are both going to be in crisis just because of their shockingly low birth rates.
It depends on where you live and cost of living, making 50k in mississipi is considered upper middle class cause cost of living is low. Just as making 100k in san jose is considered poverty level and allows you to get food stamps.
Yeah as normal he doses not talk about differences in buying power given locaiton and other factors.
$50k in what area of Mississippi? Hopefully saving some for retirement.
i doubt it, the median income in mississippi is $42k
@@Developer888 that's above median
When I was a kid I always thought we were middle class. Now looking back I recognize we were definitely lower class.
FYI $500-600 a month grocery bill for a single individual is VERY realistic now due to huge price increases the last year (unless someone eats only rive, beans, and no protein).
Yeah even 15 years ago $125 was my budget yet I only at Kool-Aid, Sugar, Spaghetti Sauce and Noodles and Vitamins as staples!!!! So today it would likely cost about $200 minimum if not more for all the same stuff!!!
@donaldlyons17 If you work hard to budget you can spend $250/ month on the grocery store as a single individual in the wealthy suburb of Washington DC I live in. But it's hard to keep it that low. $350 is much more comfortable. $600 though that's... a lot of waste or something. Idk how a single person would spend that much on groceries. Combining in restaurant food sure it's easy to surpass that though
@@VioletEmerald depends what your diet and caloric intake needs are. For a smaller female frame I could see possibly $350 being reasonable however adding an extra thousand calories per day for a male physique means increasing that dollar amount by roughly 1.5× (also usually more protein = $$).
@@VioletEmerald I don't know but I used to budget $125 a month for food in 2009!!!!
Much like everyone else is saying here, it’s highly dependent on a lot of factors. I live in a medium-cost area in the Rust Belt and I’m able to keep my grocery spending monthly as a single woman to about $200/mo minimum if I’m frugal, $300/mo if I’m being more lavish. Most rents in my area are above $1200/mo for context.
I focus on staples and get creative with spices and making sure I use everything before I buy something else.
My favorite part of your video is where you talk about where you and your family came from and what inspired you to learn. So much of financial skills comes down to people’s behavior and choices. I’m glad you read and studied and it’s paying off for you.
thank you :)
Are these paid comments?
@@Earthly_Being ha! I wish! No, this is the first time I’ve commented on one of his videos. I like the more personal comments he made which is why I said what I did.
Well did you ever see his numbers on average so you can decide if it was behavior or math that got him to where he is now? You should also question how something worked by asking for rough numbers to see the truth because as long as they "talk" it could be anything behind it. NUMBERS DON"T LIE AND HE NEVER SHOWED HIS NUMBERS ON AVERAGE!!!! For example I averaged 4K to 6K per year excess over a 5 year period BUT I owed 35K from before. Notice I am showing you the math but a ever better way to make everything clear: 14K for everything 20K net after tax income (Year). It does not have to be super accurate but notice as far as I am aware he never published something similar!!!!!
My earlier videos show all the numbers and math. Started saving in 2012, by 2014 I had 30k saved up, then I saved 50% of my 50k a year income for 4 more years, that turned to about $200k by 2019, that’s when I started TH-cam :)
Great video Andrej. I can relate to you. I am from Holland and the Dutch are known for being frugal. In 1995 I came to this country with no penny to my name. My wife and I started working as physical therapists for 18 $ an hour. We bought our house five years later and paid it of within 10 years. I religiously pay towards my 401k the max amount. We didn’t care what class we were in but our two kids have no college debt and graduated without going to fancy universities.The secret to building wealth is to have no debt. Pay off credit cards, pay off your house as quick as possible, stay away from fancy colleges and don’t keep up with the Joneses.
Totally agree, thank you for sharing, good job on avoiding debt!
Staying away from the Jones is def the best advice❤
That is the best advice.
I needed that reality check. A lot of us have a bad habit of moving the goal line. We need to appreciate what we have and not window shop for everyone else's life style.
I like how in that breakdown the guy doesn't even consider that taxes have eaten the leftover money
I’m a single person no kids and I get ZERO back on taxes. 3-4 years ago I’d get like 2,000 dollars back. It was always something I looked forward to and now the last several years my taxes (done professionally) are always perfect. I don’t owe and i don’t get anything back . What the actual F, America.
Getting taxes back just means you paid too much... The government isn't giving you money when you get a refund it was yours in the first place.
What you get back after filing your taxes depends on how much of your income was withheld compared to how much tax you need to pay for the year.
If you want a check after filing taxes, ask your employer to withhold more money from your paycheck.
You know also the tax percentages haven’t increased either? Biden actually expanded the salary ranges within the lower tax brackets due to inflation. Tax rates are at a historical low. The amount you got back is based on how much withheld, not any change from government tax brackets. Also, it’s better to owe or not get anything back. If you’re getting a large refund, that was essentially an interest free loan to the government and those are funds that you could’ve otherwise invested throughout the year
Youth is the greatest wealth there ever is
I agree
Only if it’s paired with health-health is the REAL wealth, as a sickly youth isn’t a good thing.
@@ravenrebel3183 True. I think I kinda used "youth" and "health" synonymously.
If the person spending $300-$500 a month on groceries is also eating out, and the person who’s spending $600 a month is not eating out, then the person spending more on groceries may be spending less on food overall. I just know a lot of people who don’t spend much on groceries but who order takeout all the time.
Exactly, ain’t no one spending less than 400 a month on groceries, even if I made home cooked meals every day, that would be a 100$ haul every week. That statistic for groceries is bs
Yep that’s a great point. It’s not possible to spend that less money on groceries and then also NOT order take-out.
My grocery bill is like 800-700 a month
@@acidlaekwhat do u feed, a baseball team?
@@ThruTheWire2 literally that bad. I cook for myself every day so I can hit certain macros. In 2019 I was spending 400 a month on a Research assistant salary at university. The exact same stuff.
live below your means and delayed gratification is the mantra
And for men: Stay single
The most prestigious school of economics: Tik tok. I'm dead 😂
This man will do anything to add in a Warren Buffet impression
That was not a card in the Ziploc bag. Just two parts of a card that are hiding under the white strips.
Because the US is a big place, this conversation is pointless without localizing it. I appreciate that Andrei said location matters a lot (a couple of times around 5:00). In short, the income needed to be “middle class” or own a home etc is determined by the same three things that matter in real estate: _location, location, location._
$250K is the new $100K
Why do we call it a ‘car payment’? It’s a finance cost or loan repayment. This language makes people think it is normal, in the rest of the world it’s not normal to have a never ending cycle of debt for an item. Call it what it is, debt, and do what you can to get out of it
Having a loan on your car, whatever it is called, seems to be normal. It has been like that for years....nothing new
Yes! A car payment is 100% debt. Just like a housing payment is 100% debt. I once heard someone say that as long as they’re making their credit card minimum payments they’re “debt free” 😂
middle class is so broadly defined because they people who are upper middle class or above have a bad habit of becoming more in debt, therefore they never truly move up the scale.
I truly understood what you were trying to say 😢 ! You were really inspired to inspire those who truly want to live their best life within their economic means of living and to seek happiness without being in debt and truly live life with what they can afford. Like they say: We want champagne money when we are living in a beer budget. 😂❤ Love ya Andrei!!! Thanks for inspiring all of us!
I just came to comment that if 130k is middle class then I don’t think I even qualify for extreme poverty 💀
I’m single I barely eat at restaurants and I don’t buy a lot of groceries and I’m currently temporarily located in a “affordable red southern state” my groceries are easily 750 a month. I spend about 200 on coffee and takeout.
This can’t be real. I’m in Michigan with a family of four which includes two teenage sons and my wife and I. We spend right around $1000/month on groceries and all household supplies. Add maybe another $100/month on eating away from home. Not sure how a single person could spend $950
I found my twin or doppelgänger. This is exactly what I am seeing and the budget for take out is the same
Middle class is owning your own home, being able to have kids you put through college if you want to, being able to afford retirement, insurance and an annual vacation. If you can't do all that, you're getting screwed!
Sad 😞 but very true!!
There is no "middle class" in America. You are either rich or poor.
Swaggidy Swag and Drippity Drip is CRAZY lol.
Andrei you are an inspiration to watch. This is coming from a millionaire next door approaching 70. Keep up the great content and happy new year and wish you much success going forward.
if you guys want to make a crash just stop buying anything
exactly. we can decrease inflation...
I actually really love that idea. Would only work if everyone was on board. Also, stop showing up for work 👌
@@TVHouseHistorian currently in my province of Canada there’s a strike for nurses and teachers and it’s messing up the whole system imagine if everyone from every sector of work did this it would restart everything and billionaires would loose a lot and governments as well forcing them to start everything over
So we all die? Or do you mean luxuries?
@@momsspaghetti4504 luxuries only so no over shopping, no splurging on non essentials food like groceries are ok just no restaurants, no events no shopping for clothes when you already have it and also if you really want to shake things up pull all your money out of your bank accounts
middle class defined by income is just dependent on where you live. when i lived in Indiana, i lived VERY comfortably with a 50k salary. Now in Seattle, with a 103k salary seems so unaffordable. it's relative.
Indeed. But also things have been changing fast with inflation.
4:53 no!
If you live in San Francisco or Honolulu or manhattan and do anything above minimum wage, it will be much higher wage than someone who works in West Virginia or a rural central location.
Cost of living is 2x or more depending on where you live, so while 35k can get you by in half of the US, you’d be nearly homeless in expensive zip codes!
I’d say 60k is the cheap half and 150k in expensive half for an individual yo be stepping into middle class!
Middle class as you can save money, take vacation and some money left for hobbies and fun. European lifestyle would be middle class.
If you have more than one foreign vacation and a luxury car and two houses, I’d say you’re going beyond middle class!
No amount of not buying avocado toasts(better decisions) is gonna save the majority of us from the dying throws of late stage capitalism..but ok i guess😅
BOOM! Absolutely incredible video to assist in planning out 2024. God bless you brother!!
It is going in wide steps to Worlds Economics Forums agenda: "U will own nothing but will be happy" rent rent rent.. and all your money goes to mega institutional share holders as Blackstone what is owned by Blackrock and Vanguard.. who are buying out living fund.. hundreds of thousands of homes ...
Stay for the Buffett impersonations. The magic tricks are ok too.
Land is the biggest wealth accelerator for middle class. Ofc the rich and the politicians wants to tear out that safety net.
According to the US census bureau, the US is expected to have a net 1.4 million increase in population in 2024. This factors in birth rates, death rates, and net migration. Where are these people going to live? There's already a housing shortage.
only 1.4 million increase?? That's nothing. In fact, we should be grateful for the population growth. Look at Japan and most other first world countries in Europe. Many are having a population crises.
Jesus, barely 1.4 million?? We need to have more babies, this isn't good
@@ethanscottt Have more babies? Most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck even the ones without children. Absolutely not.
new people are babies. I don't think babies will be kicking people out of housing...
@justin_4352 A vast majority of the expected increase in population is due to net migration. But, the current birth rate is higher than the death rate. Take a look at the Census Bureau data yourself.
What does it mean to "feel middle class"? It seems like people believe being middle class means you own a home and a car and never have to budget... I don't think there was ever a time in American history where that was true of the middle class.
The most annoying thing about being in any class is state and federal income taxes. It’s draining to financial freedom. Not to mention paying sales taxes and property taxes. Here’s a “crazy” idea. Regardless of your income you pay 10% and overtime can’t be taxed.
Plus paying taxes that are not being used efficiently and for Americans
This is the only way to save America. Drain the swamp by not paying them. If we cut revenue by 70% that means a lot of people have to get real jobs and not government jobcations.
Where you came from makes a huge difference like you said. He was not only lucky to be born in the US but to have a father that was a senator.
I make 89K, and it’s not enough with three kids where I live. I don’t even consider us middle class anymore. I can’t imagine how people making 60K or less are even making it.
I make less than that, am single, own my own house and had $500 left over each month to invest but bought a wrangler so only have about $100 left over now. I rarely go out to eat. But cost of living here isn't too bad.
Why do we need three classes? Working class and non Working class is so much more accurate and useful than having three classes. The barrier is also much more well defined. Where does the majority of your income come from? If it comes from your time you are working class, if your money generates more money than your time, you are non working class.
No matter how poor or rich you are, does not determine how financially sustainable your life is or the quality of your life.
Dress poor, be middle class, eventually become FIRE.
Happy new year and thanks for your magic videos! Do not stop!
I'll keep trying, thank you!
Can confirm. I'm making nearly six figures and have less buying power for housing than I did in 2014 making $15/hr. :/
Then you're probably looking in the wrong location to buy a house.
yea seriously! I make good money now or at least I thought I did. I always tell my friend. If we made what we made now 10 years ago. We are doing very well!
@@BigKWS Years ago people would buy houses in the Western Mass cause you got a lot for your money. Now it's not the case anymore.
Just hold on. The housing market is slow to change, but it does. A house is a long-term purchase, so it's well worth it to wait and keep saving until the time is right. Your patience could easily translate to $100,000s in value.
@@BigKWS Literally the same city. Or hell, even looking at the same house I could afford in 2014 I can't now even with triple the income.
was that a doc from back to the future impression ? well done
You're not just a magician, you're a gifted magical creator. Keep up the excellent work!
Thank you! See ya next year ! :D
Well explained and presented. Thanks! 😃
Depends on the region. But a single person with no children is always slaying it with a 130k level of income.
This is not true in Tennessee!
You keep mentioning that people “choose” to live in NY, Cali or other HCOL areas. I think it’s easy to say that when you’re a TH-camr. For the rest of us, we choose places based on employment prospects. NY, Cali, Chicago, Boston, etc. are where A LOT jobs are at. A lot of employers are forcing hybrid or complete in-office, even in tech. I can’t work in the middle of nowhere America. We’re currently trying to find a 3bd/2ba for no more than $650k(if we’re lucky)on the outskirts of Boston. Our jobs are tied to Boston hence why we’re settling down in Boston. Thankfully we both earn roughly $370k/yr together which definitely helps, but I would not live in Boston if I didn’t have to
Literally 🙄 people really blame people for living where they live as if they really have a choice. If you move to the middle of nowhere where prices are affordable, how do you pay for it? When there are hardly any jobs out there and wages are lower. If everyone moved to those areas suddenly, they would be complaining that costs are rising too quickly, as evidenced with that has been happening with remote workers migrating to more affordable areas. Like cmon people.
180k salary needed to qualify for a loan for the average house in Australia and the population ponzi keeps pushing it up. Looking like 10 per house will be the new first world standard....the great reset?
Lmao what. Yes our house prices everywhere is stupidly expensive. Your probs talking about sydney. I just bought a house in canberra for 700k ezpz.
180k AUD is 122k USD if anybody was wondering
@@PleasePaintHighElves Check the news article 'Startling proof Australia is totally stuffed' this month where they mention 180k is the average
@@thekingspin9846 don't always trust the news mate. But even if that's the case. Most people are close to that as couples. If it's single well yeah it's been that way for like ever.
@@PleasePaintHighElves Mate I never trust the news but this data is easy to find.....Average house
$926,899
salary = $182,434
Average unit
$659,130
salary = $129,731
Analysis of CoreLogic data. Calculations based on the average variable home loan interest rate, a 80% loan-to-value ratio with a 20% deposit, and 30% of gross income as the threshold for mortgage stress.
Remember the board game “Life?” Remember how the highest salary card was $100k? We used to think that was a lot of money. Isn’t that cute?
I make 86k as a retiree with a DB pension. I think it is terrible what Gen Z believes. No debts, a beautiful condo in an expensive city. Money doesn't go far anymore.
Your audio is so buttery
I love butter
I have a friend in the philippines.
That makes 260 Peso's a day
Which is roughly a dollar $1.20 us.
There's real poverty in the world
A majority of the world lives off a dollar a day.
We should be thankful for what we have but strive for better always.
Living in a van, down by the river......doesn't seem so bad these day.
Yup, it's sad, and if you made that in NYC, you are considered doing only slightly better than poverty.....
I keep gaining yardage, but the goalposts just keep getting farther away.
So the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Shocker.
you will own nothing and be happy
Haven't seen an Andrei video in over a year. Love how he's still using the same sad/worried face thumbnail on videos. The algorithm resurgence.
Thank you for being part of my learning and development journey in 2023! For sure I’ve captured a lot of useful tips and tricks about life and financials ❤ .. Keep it up Andrew 💪🏽
Happy new year to you too xP
Well looks like I'm in the poor class again.
I'm from Mexico, I work in tech and I can save around 2500 usd a month and live with only 1k usd (making around 4k tax-free, no kids), the american dream is a bad joke now, even for mexicans.
Legit needed to rewind and slo-mo!!! Another banger! Here's to a year of good choices. Thanks Dre!
If that's now middle class. Either your currency has been de-valued or your extremely rich.
The middle class is being hollowed out. You can just say that. You don't even need to get into politics about it. I think we all know we're getting screwed here.
Completely agree 👍🏿
That $300/mthn figure for groceries for a single person is just wrong. That's if you're getting the bare minimum: tp, soap, dinner, etc.
Thank you! $300 is a joke. I spent $150 just for one weeks worth for meal prepping and Trying to get healthier options.
You can't even afford Aldi for $300/mo.
Proud of Alex for making it to the point where he is being listed among those names. Such a cool dude
$300-$500 isn’t enough for one person for a months worth of good imo. Great video. Great breakdown like always
I'm considered middle class by the state of California, but i can't even rent a crappy apartment by myself.
Housing costs have outpaced average wages for over 40 years. A bit late to the game, Andrei!
Yeah but only significantly in past few years
That ending was and is perfect! Definitely sharing with my loved ones
Everyone wants more without realizing they're the very reason inflation continues to explode up. MORE. MORE. MORE. MORE.
Our country is trillions in debt, yet you better pay your taxes immediately!!
Happy New Year, Andrei! I'm wishing you a 2024 full of Peace, Joy, and Abundance. 🎉🥳🎉
Happy New Year!
Love the video very informative and funny Warren’s buffet impression he is the top G.
I read an article earlier this week here in Australia which stated that lower upper class starts around $303k per person
Is your class system based just on income like the US then? Ours (UK) is still heavily based on attitude and background.
the fact that it requires being extremely careful and living with a roommate to gain any kind of wealth as someone in the new middle class shows how bad it is. Good luck being a middle class family.
This was such a great video, thank you!
You are so welcome!
I totally went back to the beginning of the video to see where that jack of clubs went....and failed. I don't watch this channel for the magic tricks, but I'm not going to lie, I always look forward to seeing them! Great content Andrei!
Agreed. Same here🍻
And most people make 12 an hour. Mellineals called this long ago and were ready with solutions. Then we got called lazy for being the only ones trying.
I’m not sure 130k being middle class is “shocking” I mean what did we think was middle class? It’s certainly not poor and it’s certainly not wealthy… so yea. “Middle” great information otherwise; I’m just not sure what people expect in 2024 lol
Man I watch your videos all the time 2020 was great year cause of you so thank you for that I'm definitely hoping to make some changes it's not easy but we can do it if you truly want it anything is possible hope we all have great year because it's not easy out here but please don't give up happy new years
Happy new year!
*private mortgage insurance
Buffet impression 😂
I tell everyone I'm part of the upper Lower Class. I have a high networth compared to my friends by a large margin but I make less than the median income here in the top 10 most expensive city 😅
That watch on his wrist is a Rolex right?
Hi Andre! I'm a big fan of your channel! Costco is not selling Crypto, but they are now selling silver and gold! 😎🏆