Anonymous wrote:Not what the original poster asked but I am not feeling very inadequate with my $300k in retirement savings at 35

I had less than that at 35. It tripled by age 55. You're perfectly fine.

*now feeling inadquate

Not what the original poster asked but I am not feeling very inadequate with my $300k in retirement savings at 35

In 1998, I was 14 and playing the stock market game in school. My grandfather, who had just had a large windfall from his mother's estate, gave me $5k to invest in an UGMA account. I split it between Apple (which he gravely warned me against but I loved that colorful iMac) and Walgreens (which he thought was safer but he wanted me to buy Ford)....

Needless to say, that $5k turned into a huge chunk of change for me that has been reinvested, diversified, and really changed the course of my life. Now, I don't think it was responsible of him to let me invest $5k in that manner, but it worked out.

Anonymous wrote:My mom brought me up NOT to marry rich and to be completely independent. I think she was a little extreme and could have been more balanced. Not all rich men are bad people. Anyway, I do have more money than my DH.. significantly more but from the outside I think most people think that he is the one who earned more money. I wasn't interested in having kids until I had money. I started a company and had $10 mil. by the time I was 32.

Get off DCUM and go enjoy that good life -- you've earned it!!

My mom brought me up NOT to marry rich and to be completely independent. I think she was a little extreme and could have been more balanced. Not all rich men are bad people. Anyway, I do have more money than my DH.. significantly more but from the outside I think most people think that he is the one who earned more money. I wasn't interested in having kids until I had money. I started a company and had $10 mil. by the time I was 32.

Anonymous wrote:My picture is a little bit different. I married relatively young (early 20s) so other than a very small 401k at the time neither of us had much wealth. That being said, we invested very aggressively early on and have built both joint and individual assets in the last 25 years. We could each easily support our family if necessary and we have significant assets that are in just one of our names.

That's great, but you realize that this is not what OP is referring to.... she is referring to women who built their wealth by themselves *before* they got together with their spouses. This thread isn't for you.

My picture is a little bit different. I married relatively young (early 20s) so other than a very small 401k at the time neither of us had much wealth. That being said, we invested very aggressively early on and have built both joint and individual assets in the last 25 years. We could each easily support our family if necessary and we have significant assets that are in just one of our names.

Never married. Professionally successful. Accumulated $2 million in retirement and investments by age 40, then adopted a child.

Why do you ask, OP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love reading posts by independent, ambitious women. It's like cat nip. All of you are awesome!!!!

You do know, that this is internet. Ds showed me Instagram of his elementary classmates: pretend real estate moguls and investment bankers. Look at statistics.

Its a shame that you think that its an improbability for women to be smart, savvy accumulators of wealth independently of the person they married. I was schooled from elementary age to be independent which is how I got to where I am, not by depending on my husband or partner to provide for me.

+1

My grandparents set the same expectations for my mom and her sisters in the 50s/60s and were very clear with all of them that they weren't going to college to get an MRS.

One of my aunt's friends actually told me I was "marrying badly" because he wasn't going to "take care of" me while I stayed home. Doing just fine for myself, lady.

Anonymous wrote:Not wealthy, but I was pleased with the $500k in retirement savings and $400k in real estate I accumulated before I married at 30. We are on better footing together with $3 million in retirement/brokerage accounts and $1.5 million in real estate investment properties at 34 and 35. No problem building your own and then amplifying with marriage.

DAMN!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love reading posts by independent, ambitious women. It's like cat nip. All of you are awesome!!!!

You do know, that this is internet. Ds showed me Instagram of his elementary classmates: pretend real estate moguls and investment bankers. Look at statistics.

Its a shame that you think that its an improbability for women to be smart, savvy accumulators of wealth independently of the person they married. I was schooled from elementary age to be independent which is how I got to where I am, not by depending on my husband or partner to provide for me.

Anonymous wrote:I love reading posts by independent, ambitious women. It's like cat nip. All of you are awesome!!!!

You do know, that this is internet. Ds showed me Instagram of his elementary classmates: pretend real estate moguls and investment bankers. Look at statistics.

While not as "wealthy" as some here, I had more cash and investments than my DH. I talked to him about contributing a lot more to his retirement when we got together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your definition of "wealth"?

This. I married at 30 and brought a 400k house and roughly 800k in retirement and investments that was solely mine. Not rich at all, but I was proud of myself for doing that on my own.

That's amazing, what do you do?