Baby boomer here.
In my 20s I Bought a townhouse in the Massachusetts exurbs in 1985 for $120,000 and I think my first mortgage was 14 percent but I refinanced to 12.5 percent within 2 years (my dad co-signed for me). My salary was $25,000 / year. Utilities costs were high so I kept thermostat at 55-60 (brrr), no A/C. I loved my little house but I was so broke I could barely afford food and I couldn’t afford to drive into Boston to hang out with friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

That was easier for you boomers and older GenX — you bought homes when they were CHEAP.

The rest of us had to burn money on rent and expensive mortgages.

Gen Xer here. Mortgage rates were 8% in 2000 when we bought our house. That was not easy. We refinanced over the years.

Yeah 8% for a 50k house gtfo

Other GenXer here.

It was 8% on a $270,000 unimpressive townhome with 2 small bedrooms and a 45 minute commute to our jobs (because we couldn’t afford closer). Oh… and we had starting salaries of $30K out of grad school.

Not complaining— but I’m also not going to let you perpetuate the idea that your generation has it so much harder than everyone else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

That was easier for you boomers and older GenX — you bought homes when they were CHEAP.

The rest of us had to burn money on rent and expensive mortgages.

Gen Xer here. Mortgage rates were 8% in 2000 when we bought our house. That was not easy. We refinanced over the years.

Yeah 8% for a 50k house gtfo

Agreed, I hate when my parents say this. Their house cost 1 year of 1 person's salary. Ours cost four times as much relative to income (and that's only because we bought a TH, they have an SFH with land). I'd be happy to pay more interest on 25% of the principal!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

That was easier for you boomers and older GenX — you bought homes when they were CHEAP.

The rest of us had to burn money on rent and expensive mortgages.

Gen Xer here. Mortgage rates were 8% in 2000 when we bought our house. That was not easy. We refinanced over the years.

Yeah 8% for a 50k house gtfo

What is an analyst sounds like a made up govt job.

I left my contractor IT job yesterday because the task I was assigned to abruptly ended. But I have interviews lined up within my large company for next week. (Company will stick me somewhere to avoid paying severance.) I have a full clearance so that helps.

A lot of my IT contractor friends avoid large employers but it is a plus when contracts end and the company has a fair number of open jobs.

FYI I’m near retirement age too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

That was easier for you boomers and older GenX — you bought homes when they were CHEAP.

The rest of us had to burn money on rent and expensive mortgages.

Gen Xer here. Mortgage rates were 8% in 2000 when we bought our house. That was not easy. We refinanced over the years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BLS and other data agencies were not spared, and a lot of people are worried about the quality of analysis going forward. Earlier this year BLS said it would stop collecting a few kinds of data and instead infer it, which has implications for accuracy.

So Statisticians and economists were fired as well?

FHFA RIFed almost all of their economists and statisticians. The whole division was decimated in March.

Yeah. This post and many of the replies seem completely out of touch with what's happening.

The Department of Education's entire stats and research arm is gone. There are a small handful of people with a leader, from Trump 1.0 times still there doing 3 jobs. Everyone else is gone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

That was easier for you boomers and older GenX — you bought homes when they were CHEAP.

The rest of us had to burn money on rent and expensive mortgages.

Anonymous wrote:I retired actually a year before the DOGE mess. I was 58 I always wanted to work part- time. I’ve applied for some very part-time easy jobs - think libraries, schools.

Nothing. Age discrimination is very real. It’s upsetting

yep, which is why DH and I have always planned on retiring early. I'm still working at 55; DH was laid off at 59.

A ton of those private sector companies rely on gov’t funds that aren’t there anymore.

How many of you are also thinking that it might be time to leave DC?