The $100,000 Income Lie We Grew Up With, LFG Daily - December 4, 2025

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The $100,000 Lie We Grew Up With

Why Hitting Six Figures Doesn’t Feel Like “Making It” Anymore

For an entire generation, making $100,000 a year was sold as the American benchmark for “you’ve made it.” It meant security. Comfort. Freedom. A good life.

But somewhere between the late ‘90s and today, that dream quietly expired — and nobody sent the memo.

Many people finally cross that long-awaited six-figure threshold and are stunned to find out one uncomfortable truth: $100,000 today is not the $100,000 we grew up hearing about. In real purchasing power, it’s not even close.

Inflation Quietly Rewrote the Rules

Inflation is the obvious villain — but it’s not just the headline CPI number.Since the late 1990s, the dollar has lost roughly 40–45% of its purchasing power. That means $100k today buys about what $55k–$60k did for our parents.

But more importantly: the biggest categories of modern life didn’t just inflate — they exploded.

• Housing costs have grown 2–3x faster than wages in most cities.

• Healthcare premiums have more than tripled.

• Tuition has soared by 150–200%.

• Childcare now rivals a mortgage payment.

• Even basic insurance costs — auto, home, health — are up meaningfully.

  
  

In other words, inflation didn’t rise evenly. The necessities rose the fastest.

So when someone today earns $100k, they aren’t stepping into a comfortable middle-class lifestyle — they’re stepping into a world where the essentials take a bigger slice of income than ever before.

The Hidden Economic Pressures Nobody Talks About

Beyond inflation, several long-term structural forces have crushed the “100k equals security” myth:

1. Lifestyle costs are now embedded in the economy

Smartphones, streaming, software subscriptions, cloud storage, digital services — our modern lifestyle comes with recurring monthly expenses our parents didn’t have.

2. Taxes bite harder as you climb brackets

People underestimate how different $100k gross is from $100k net. Between federal, state, payroll taxes, and healthcare withholding, many households see 30–35% disappear before they spend a dollar.

3. Debt loads exploded

Student loans, car payments, and rising credit card balances eat away money that prior generations didn’t have to budget for.

4. A “keeping up” culture

Social media turned lifestyle inflation into a sport. Everyone is comparing homes, vacations, clothes, and experiences — often to people 10–20 years ahead of them economically.

All of this combines into a simple truth: making $100k today often feels like treading water, not cruising.

It’s Not You — The Math Changed

Many people hit six figures and feel guilty for struggling.“I’m making good money… why does it still feel tight?”

Because the economy shifted underneath your feet.

Six-figure earners today face cost structures that didn’t exist decades ago. You’re not doing it wrong — the game changed.

So What Do You Do About It?

This is where financial planning becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

1. Build a spending plan around values, not numbersIf every dollar has a purpose, lifestyle inflation can’t hijack your future.

2. Align investing with long-term goalsYour income alone won’t secure retirement — your investment strategy will.

3. Plan ahead for the big expensesKids, a home, education, career changes, and healthcare are predictable… if you prepare early.

4. Review your financial plan annuallyIncome grows, life changes, markets shift — your plan needs to evolve too. At Lloyd Financial Group, we automatically update client plans to keep you on course.

The New Reality

If the old American Dream said “make $100k and you’re set,” the new reality says:“Build a plan, invest wisely, and control your lifestyle — that’s how you get ahead.”

$100k isn’t the finish line anymore.

But with the right strategy, it can still be the launching pad.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

ADP Employment helped start markets on the back foot as it showed -32K jobs vs. exp. 10K.

Industrial Production was 0.1% m/m, same as last month, though Capacity Utilization slipped to 75.9% vs. exp. 77.3%, with the previous month also revised lower.

ISM Services was 52.6 vs. exp. 52.1, with New Orders and Prices Paid both moderating a bit.

The BoJ said they’re likely to raise rates in December.

The 30Y JGB bond auction went well, as the higher yields attracted a lot of buyers. Can the good vibrations continue?

Yesterday, the Information, which seems to love to put out questionable stories, claimed MSFT lowered their AI sales quotas amidst low sales. MSFT denied the story but is started AI names in the red.

Jobless claims and factory orders, today.

What does it all mean? A December rate cut seems to be a lock and liquidity is returning to growth names.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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