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Remember, in the UK you don't get rich by working, you get rich by starting off rich. Everything is stacked against you if you start off with no funds. Especia

Remember, in the UK you don't get rich by working, you get rich by starting off rich. Everything is stacked against you if you start off with no funds. Especially if you get into the rent trap and the car trap. I was still in the negative at 30. If you were able to buy a property in your early 20s (ie. someone gave you the money) then you could easily be over 100k by 30. You don't mention whether you own your house or not. If you do then a £40k/year lifestyle living in your own home seems ridiculously lavish. Or you could consider your house an investment and I guess put it under ISA as you won't get taxed on liquidating your home. If you were actually aware of FIRE at 20, made it a goal, didn't buy a car, bought a modest flat or something in a city, then I think this is quite doable. Only the rich can have their cake and eat it too, though.

dom96 3y ago
There are still some small amounts of opportunities that can allow you to come from a poor background and become well off. I'm mainly thinking of tech jobs that pay well, but yes even with those there is a lot of luck involved. I'm in my late 20s now and doing pretty well because of a combination of luck and because I am passionate about programming (and have been from an early age). So there are paths, though I agree they are tough. And I agree, having rich parents is definitely playing life on easy mode.
- globular-toast 3y ago
  You can certainly become well off from a poor background. Whether you can be well off and retire early is a completely different matter. It also depends massively on your definition of well off. It tends to mean "at least as good as my parents". People don't really even acknowledge lifestyles at a level significantly below that of their parents. The right combination is probably poor/frugal parents/upbringing and a gift for something like programming: a "new" field that pays well but doesn't require the "gift of the gab" and connections that are found in long-standing well-off families and valued in "traditional" fields. The worst combination would be ending up in a "traditional" field with parents who are well off from a "new" field but have neither the bullshit nor the connections, and who live their lives to the absolute fullest, leaving nothing behind when they go. It's not fair. Perhaps the people campaigning for equality will one day realise it's not really about race or sex or much else, it's about inheritance. But it's not all gloom. You only really need to see positive change in your life to be happy. Absolute standing in society doesn't mean much above a certain level (see the hedonic treadmill).

dom96 3y ago

There are still some small amounts of opportunities that can allow you to come from a poor background and become well off. I'm mainly thinking of tech jobs that pay well, but yes even with those there is a lot of luck involved. I'm in my late 20s now and doing pretty well because of a combination of luck and because I am passionate about programming (and have been from an early age). So there are paths, though I agree they are tough. And I agree, having rich parents is definitely playing life on easy mode.

globular-toast 3y ago
You can certainly become well off from a poor background. Whether you can be well off and retire early is a completely different matter. It also depends massively on your definition of well off. It tends to mean "at least as good as my parents". People don't really even acknowledge lifestyles at a level significantly below that of their parents. The right combination is probably poor/frugal parents/upbringing and a gift for something like programming: a "new" field that pays well but doesn't require the "gift of the gab" and connections that are found in long-standing well-off families and valued in "traditional" fields. The worst combination would be ending up in a "traditional" field with parents who are well off from a "new" field but have neither the bullshit nor the connections, and who live their lives to the absolute fullest, leaving nothing behind when they go. It's not fair. Perhaps the people campaigning for equality will one day realise it's not really about race or sex or much else, it's about inheritance. But it's not all gloom. You only really need to see positive change in your life to be happy. Absolute standing in society doesn't mean much above a certain level (see the hedonic treadmill).