The American Dream, Has It Changed Us Or Have We Changed It?
There is no doubt about it, the way we handle money today has changed significantly to the way our grandparents and parents handled it.
Over the last 40 years we have become a nation of consumers, instead of a nation of producers. We could be described as grazers living as a collective body, not knowing or realizing how far off the path we have strayed off the path.
In the 1950’s one would seldom hear of a person filing bankruptcy, being foreclosed on. Today however, if you live in a middle-class income neighborhood and drew a circle containing one hundred homes you would find the following:
At least one house would be empty from foreclosure, one foreclosure in process and, four to seven other neighbors who are more than three months behind on their house payment.
What has changed in the last 40 years has been a thing called debt. The family of the late 1960s and 1970s, began to borrow! Banks and lending institutions began to aggressively market to the American public and before long we were sold on the idea that borrowing was good. As a result, today we have financial products of all kinds and for all situations.
As a result, 2003 consumer debt surpassed 1.7 trillion dollars, credit cards account for almost half of that credit card debt.
Taking this into account, it is more difficult to building a secure financial future more difficult today then at any time prior. Not because there is a lack of investment vehicles to choose from, it is because we lack sufficient capital to invest. It is hard to be a “producer” when most of your money is tied up in debt and taxes.
What is the American Dream?
How does one achieve the American Dream? The answer undoubtedly depends upon one’s definition of the Dream. According to what our grandparents and parents told us, the American dream was:
A secure job until retirement
Buy a house
Pay it off as soon as you can
Retire comfortably
Does that sound familiar to you? We know of course that our definitions have changed over the last 40 years but lets look at how our grandparents lived and how we live today.
My wife’s parents are perfect examples of this. They bought their house in 1964 for $12,000 with a monthly payment of $100.00. Based on the way they lived, for them a 30 year fixed mortgage was perfect.
Now, don’t get too excited about that amount, it was quite a chunk of money back in 1964 and caused a few sleepless nights for the new occupants.
Let’s compare the way they lived to the way we live today.
Today, we change jobs 5, 6, 7 times or more. We move 4, 5, 6 times, or more. For many of us, we won’t have a pension and we have not really saved any money for our retirement. Oh, and one more thing, we have credit card debt up to our ears!
The world we live in today has dramatically changed and as such we need to realize that the rules of money has changed with it as well. For an indepth reading on the how the rules of money have changed and what you can do about it, I suggest reading Douglas Andrews newly released book Missed Fortune 101 http://www.missedfortune-101.com .
In his book Andrews reveals the ways banks, credit unions, and insurance companies amass tremendous wealth-what they do, and what they don't do. He shows readers how to seize financial opportunities they never knew existed.
About the Author: Scott Johnson is a published author and speaker. He focuses his message on the incredible gift that is available to everyone to reach their full potential. He is also the owner of Direct Pay which offers the first prepaid debit Visa and MasterCard available globally. Associate Affiliate Program - http://www.directpaycash.com, Prepaid Visa Card - http://edebitcard.net