It is a statement of outrageous privilege and callousness. Never mind the fact that the 401k exists because defined benefit pension plans disappeared, leaving workers responsible for saving money themselves, and forcing them to assume the risks of the market.
I'm one of the privileged. I finished school in 2001, got into tech as we were recovering from the dot-com bust, dumped every penny I could spare into the stock market after the 2009 crash, and am sitting pretty at age 42 with a nice nest egg. The economy is working for me. For my friends 10 or 15 years younger, not so much.
Besides all that, other than a mild tax reform that might have done something, I can't see how our economic boom is Trump's doing. It's succeeding despite Trump's best attempts to sabotage it with trade wars. More than anything, the stock market boom is driven by investor enthusiasm about an environment of lower regulations (not good for most of us) and absurdly low interest rates (which hurts retirees, can lead to inflation, and removes the Fed's most important tool). If we go into a recession with interest rates as they are, we're in deep trouble.
You’re not privileged. You simply made wise financial decisions. It’s okay to not hate your white skin. It’s okay. You’re not a bad person if you don’t hate yourself and your race.
Beef: I'm financially privileged.
Higgins: 14/88.
