I turned 30 in the fall, married, 3 kids. Wife stays home. I make good, but not great, money. I own my house outright, and have a stock portfolio worth roughly

I turned 30 in the fall, married, 3 kids. Wife stays home. I make good, but not great, money. I own my house outright, and have a stock portfolio worth roughly as much as the house. For people in tech, that is all attainable. The trouble is that people listen to what the culture tells them to do, rather than assessing their options and doing what makes sense. If you take your advice from people who benefit from you being in debt and barely making ends meet, then that is where you will end up.