zlacker

It's not like OP said "Anyone can do it just like this!". It's just what they did. Is it really so shocking to you that richer people have more opportunities in their lives than poorer people?

>>googlr+(OP)
See my sibling reply.

It didn’t take being “rich”.

My budget is lower than it was when I was making $135K (the median college educated couple in the US makes that much) when I had my house built in 2016.

The only thing different that I’m doing based on my income now is subsidizing the rent for my younger son instead of selling my old house and paying cash for the Condotel I bought. It was the same price in 2022 as what I bought in 2016.

>>scarfa+0e
It's not just about income, but also your assets. From your description, I don't think it is wrong to call you rich, or at least above average net worth and income. Also, you making $135k solo is a much better situation than you+partner making $135k combined as might happen with the median college couple. You doing it solo means your partner can put all their time into...well..whatever they want.

I don't really see anything wrong with your reply, I was mostly replying to the person who was whining that you have to be rich to do it. But I do think, if you had less income and fewer assets you would need to go about doing what you did in a different way.

>>googlr+kt
Yes, I realize in the grand scheme of things, even $135K puts me in the top quintile of income. But this is HN full of tech people. In 2016, any average CRUD “full stack developer” could get that much in any major metropolitan area in the US with 5-7 years of experience. An FHA loan that we used to get our house built was 3.5% down or around $12K.

On the other side of tech compensation, that’s less than a returning intern I mentored got when they came back - and not as a software developer as a junior consultant at BigTech working remotely where we make 10% less than software devs at the same level

I still posit that it is more about priorities (and lack of dependents) for your average mid careers professionals.

There are people making less who choose the RV life or AirBnbs and cars.