@kazani

People fundamentally misunderstand Gen Z’s attitude to risk taking. We are not all “degenerate gamblers” that you think we are. (Okay I mean some of us are). We would rather not take any risk at all. We would love to just sit in our apartments and cruise to financial stability with LABUBUs in hand. But we can’t. We’re forced onto the risk curve. We naturally come to the conclusion that the only way to get financially secure is to take maximum risk early. Low risk won’t do it in 2025. ———— Often, we start out the world fresh eyed and bushy tailed - the world is our oyster and we want to succeed in our careers, build wealth, start a family and reach financial independence. Yet slowly, piece by piece, reality chips away at our soul: - Rent is 50% of income. - Income taxes are 30-40% on top of that. - Groceries and basics keep inflating while wages stagnate. - $200k+ Student debt hangs like a noose, with interest rates that feel predatory. - We literally live paycheck to paycheck. - We realize we’re never going to own a home. (And we fucking resent Boomers that got in while median home prices were 3x income and are now 8-10x the average income (including our own parents)). - Healthcare costs can fuck us overnight. ————— We enter the workforce ready to "play the game" by the rules our parents and boomers laid out: - get a degree. - work hard. - save diligently. - invest in safe index funds. - suck up to your boss. - climb the corporate ladder. We try. We really do. But then we realize the game is rigged from the start. The rules were written for a different era. - One where you had affordable housing - One where loyalty at a job was valued. - One where you could underwrite a 40 year career (not the case in the age of AI). - One where you could raise a family AND afford a house on one income. - One where you could see a path to retirement (pension). - One where you could move up economic classes with hard work. Now, it's a casino. - Inflation erodes our savings - The housing/stock market is at all time highs (of which we have no/low equity exposure) - The corporate world feels soulless. Wealth feels elusive. ————— So, what's left? We “gamble”. - Crypto - Options - High beta tech equities - Leverage - Day trading Our only way out is maximum (calculated) risk-taking. It may seem reckless (it is). It may seem stupid (it is) It may seem sub-optimal. It may seem unnecessary. It may seem like excessive degenerate gambling. But it’s quite rational. Just like the homeless guy buying the lotto ticket is rational. It’s rational because asymmetric upside is our best shot at breaking free. Sure, some crash and burn. That’s always going to be the case. But many of us are actually using our intellect and intuition to take calculated bets that on the surface seem unnecessary. ——— If the supposed “safe path” does not guarantee financial sustainability Our ONLY out here is to take excessive risk. Gen Z recognize that 5% returns net of taxes and inflation won’t ever get us to financial security when the system is rigged to blow. WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GO MAX RISK. https://x.com/zoomyzoomm/status/1959014602530070820

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