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Maybe other bloggers were "privileged", but MMM grew up in a family that didn't have a ton of money, and he payed for his own college via jobs he worked as a te

Maybe other bloggers were "privileged", but MMM grew up in a family that didn't have a ton of money, and he payed for his own college via jobs he worked as a teenager. In short, he worked his ass off.

sidlls 9y ago
Sure, he and his wife clearly worked for what they have. Doesn't mean there isn't survivor bias (luck) and privilege at work. For example, anybody who can pay for their own college from jobs they worked as a teenager is privileged. Take a look at his own story: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/08/mr-money-mustaches-own-story/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/08/mr-money-mustaches... He doesn't say he grew up in a family without a ton of money. He grew up in a frugal family. In Canada, with a number of social support systems that simply don't exist elsewhere. He could attend a local University on his teenager job savings and had a good job waiting for him upon graduation. He and his wife found a fixer-upper they could afford to fix up. And so on. These aren't things that happen to or for most people. The suggestion that his experience generalizes is terrible.
- markdog12 9y ago
  Do you mean to say he is privileged because of the country he grew up in? If so, I certainly agree.
  - sidlls 9y ago
    That's certainly part of it, yes. He simply didn't have the adversarial childhood that lower and lower-middle income households in America have. It's not like he started on third base to get his home run. More like he started on first or was intentionally walked.
astura 9y ago
I worked my ass off to get where I am financially. I grew up with low income, abusive, mentally ill, and alcoholic parents. I wasn't taught hardly any life skills and I had no "connections" of which to speak. I worked hard to get where I am now (I save/invest 70% of my income a year) but I don't for a second discount luck as a big part of it. Someone making similar choices as I did can surely have a different outcome. Plus the biggest increase in my financial status came from getting married to someone who makes just as much money as I do.
- kdamken 9y ago
  Who you marry is hands down one of the largest factors in your overall financial success. Especially when it comes to the risk of divorce.
  - astura 9y ago
    Absolutely. Even if we got divorced tomorrow I would be in a much, much better financial situation than if I'd stayed single. My spouse knows that from the other side of things too (was previously married to a lazy mooch for six years) Part of that goes into the "luck" category as well.

sidlls 9y ago

Sure, he and his wife clearly worked for what they have. Doesn't mean there isn't survivor bias (luck) and privilege at work. For example, anybody who can pay for their own college from jobs they worked as a teenager is privileged. Take a look at his own story: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/08/mr-money-mustaches-own-story/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/08/mr-money-mustaches... He doesn't say he grew up in a family without a ton of money. He grew up in a frugal family. In Canada, with a number of social support systems that simply don't exist elsewhere. He could attend a local University on his teenager job savings and had a good job waiting for him upon graduation. He and his wife found a fixer-upper they could afford to fix up. And so on. These aren't things that happen to or for most people. The suggestion that his experience generalizes is terrible.

markdog12 9y ago
Do you mean to say he is privileged because of the country he grew up in? If so, I certainly agree.
- sidlls 9y ago
  That's certainly part of it, yes. He simply didn't have the adversarial childhood that lower and lower-middle income households in America have. It's not like he started on third base to get his home run. More like he started on first or was intentionally walked.

astura 9y ago

I worked my ass off to get where I am financially. I grew up with low income, abusive, mentally ill, and alcoholic parents. I wasn't taught hardly any life skills and I had no "connections" of which to speak. I worked hard to get where I am now (I save/invest 70% of my income a year) but I don't for a second discount luck as a big part of it. Someone making similar choices as I did can surely have a different outcome. Plus the biggest increase in my financial status came from getting married to someone who makes just as much money as I do.

kdamken 9y ago
Who you marry is hands down one of the largest factors in your overall financial success. Especially when it comes to the risk of divorce.
- astura 9y ago
  Absolutely. Even if we got divorced tomorrow I would be in a much, much better financial situation than if I'd stayed single. My spouse knows that from the other side of things too (was previously married to a lazy mooch for six years) Part of that goes into the "luck" category as well.