Reinventing Yourself

There was a lecture on ‘The Great Gatsby’ by two professors at the University of St. Thomas recently. During that discussion, the question came up about the ‘American Dream’ and if F. Scott Fitzgerald was really talking about this iconic (really world-wide) focus on success and prosperity in his novel. Is ‘The Great Gatsby’ really a metaphor for the great American dream? If so, then what is success?

In this Trump-infused world, many have been led to believe that the accumulation of material goods such a money, cars, homes, and material possessions are true signs of success. In the real world that so many of us live in, the true sign of success is doing what you want to do with your life and enjoying it. Of course, that trite quote doesn’t get a lot of ‘hits,’ ‘downloads’ or ‘notices’ in our over-caffeinated latest, greatest, most stupendous (often outrageous) social media statements.

This focus on success wasn’t always so cloudy in this country. There seemed to be a clearly delineated pathway in terms of financial advancements for the average person. After World War Two, there was unprecedented growth with the GDP. For several decades, the middle class grew and prospered. Unfortunately, that growth slowed and gradually lost its luster beginning in the late 60s and early 70s.

The intertwinement and entanglements of business and political interests had been going on for a long time. It was an open secret that lobbyists weld an enormous power in Washington for the vested good of special interests and the moneyed elite. It was the middle class who were getting the short end of the dollar stick in most of these transactions, arrangements and agreements made into law.

Norman Lear’s autobiography ‘This Too I Get to Experience’ touched on the same subject matter……short-sighted vision instead of long-term perspective. Lear talks about a conversation he had with a Harvard professor who lamented ‘the most rapacious societal disease of our time: short-term thinking.’

The professor explained: “There will be a time very shortly when young people-very young people- will be looking into computer screens. They will be looking directly into screens, not to the side, so there will be no peripheral vision; they won’t be looking over the top, so they won’t see what’s ahead; they’ll be staring straight ahead into those screens, blind to everything ahead and around them.”

“Money managers and financial product traders will be selling, buying, and swapping financial products around the world. With that narrow focus, like a horse with blinders, they will have more control and hold more power in those split seconds than we can today imagine. And all of it entirely focused on short-term gains.”

Back in 2008, the near collapse of our world-wide financial system, and Wall Street in particular, should have been a wakeup call for all Americans to pay more attention to their wallets and events happening around them. Unfortunately, not much seems to have changed over the ensuing years. Every day there are new financially-coated products, events, angles, schemes, and ‘can’t lose’ facades presented to the general public.

To that end, reinvention and financial literacy should be a topic of interest that every American should acquaint themselves with. ‘What is financial literacy all about, you may ask? Essentially, it is the ability to use one’s knowledge and skills to effectively manage financial resources, ideally for a lifetime of financial well-being. Indeed, financial literacy is something we all have to work on each day—it’s part of our ongoing education.

Despite being a relatively new field of study, financial literacy has become increasingly important for governments and citizens – without it there can be broad implications for the economic health and stability of countries.

It simply comes down to that old, worn, yet so true cliché: Let the buyer beware. We all have the responsibility to listen and learn for ourselves instead of letting someone else do it for us. To use common sense instead of group-think and to forge our own path to enlightenment instead of following the crowd. Reinvention is another approach to ponder.

My own story of growing up poor has been chronicled in many blogs over the years. Again, it wasn’t something my friends and I were acutely aware of aside from the lack of a family car, no summer vacations and few material things around the house. Most of us started working at an early age and accepted that as ‘par for the course.’ I chose a different path for myself.

Sharon began doing chores on the farm when she was six years old. If the bulk tank wasn’t cleaned twice a day, her dad couldn’t sell his milk as grade A and there wouldn’t be a milk check at the end of the month. She remembers growing up with no sink in the kitchen but a shiny new bulk tank instead in the barn. She also chose to not follow her peers and remain on the farm. Higher education and the world of academia beckoned her attention.

One of the St. Thomas professors commented that usually it isn’t the ‘most likely to succeed’ senior who becomes the artist, writer, inventor, etc. More often than not, it’s the outcast, the shunned, the under-represented. But it’s not one of ‘those folks.’ The IN crowd need not apply.

Reinvention is one approach to seize the opportunities present and not follow the masses. As nebulous as words like ambition, hunger, and striving might be, the simple fact is that nothing much has changed over the years. The Gilded Age and Nick’s ‘roaring twenties’ both manifested the same trite cliches and banner headlines. Today, one’s knowledge of the truth behind the façade goes a long way in this new world of podcasts, social media posts, and TikTok nonsense.

Yes, prices have gone up, some opportunities have disappeared and sometimes the future can be a dark and bleary horizon for a lot of folks. But the simple fact remains that a lot of the cliches about success we’ve heard over the years still ring true. These are all simple, sometimes simplistic but true statements. Bottom line; it’s all up to you.

Do I know if the American Dream still exists? Frankly, I don’t know but I have to believe it does…and has for generations. It’s still up to each of us to find our own way in this crazy, exciting, sometimes contradictory world. If not us, then who?

White Trash

Most of us, whether we’ll admit it or not, have areas of interest that might surprise a lot of other folks. Where this subject matter comes from is less important than the depth to which this attention to detail can grasp at and hold tight to our reflective consciousness. Some people might call them our ‘hot buttons’ or for others, their ‘touchy subjects.’ No matter the moniker, the subject in question often seems to capture our attention and hold it tight.

I am guilty of those inquisitive infractions. For whatever reason, my attention is often drawn to the subject of class in our society. In my mind, it ties in nicely with ‘The American Dream,’ ‘Class Consciousness,’ and (the old favorite of mine) ‘rising above your raisin'.'

Over the years, I’ve read several books on class. It’s a subject matter that has long since fascinated me on a very personal level. Perhaps the thin fabric of my upbringing had a lot to do with it. Growing up, it certainly wasn’t the glamor of wealth or accumulated material possessions that caught my attention. Instead, I think it was the place that American society had sketched out for me as a child based on my social, economic, and cultural upbringing.

Both my grade school and high school councilors slotted me into educational tracks based on my test scores. My family structure certainly didn’t help advance any educational chances at success. There were sometimes understood and other times openly stated assumptions that I would follow a pre-ordained path and certainly never give any thought to ‘rising above my raisin'.’ My mother and father did just that. My grandparents the same. That simply was the way it was and always had been back then.

I recently read a scholarly study of class in America entitled: ‘White Trash.’ Without apology, I’ve enlisted the help of ChatGPT to give a summary of the book.

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (2016) by Nancy Isenberg is a historical study that challenges the idea of the United States as a classless society. Isenberg traces the roots and evolution of class divisions in America, focusing on the persistent stigma and social marginalization of poor white people—often labeled as “white trash,” “rednecks,” “hillbillies,” and other derogatory terms.

Nancy Isenberg argues that from the colonial era to the present, class has always been a defining feature of American life, even though the nation has long promoted the myth of equal opportunity. She explores how elites and political leaders have used class distinctions to shape social hierarchies, justify inequality, and control land and labor.

The book begins with the English colonists who viewed North America as a dumping ground for Britain’s “waste people”—the poor, criminals, and indentured servants. These early settlers were seen as expendable laborers, and this attitude laid the groundwork for centuries of class prejudice.

Isenberg traces how these class labels persisted through American history:

• In the 18th and 19th centuries, poor whites were described as lazy, degenerate, and unfit for citizenship, often excluded from education and property ownership.
• In the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, politicians and writers reinforced stereotypes that pitted poor whites against Black Americans to maintain racial and class hierarchies.
• In the 20th century, cultural figures—from eugenicists to politicians—used “white trash” imagery to discuss morality, genetics, and the supposed decline of the nation.
• In the modern era, the term has resurfaced in politics and pop culture, reflecting ongoing discomfort with poverty and class mobility in a society that insists everyone can “make it” through hard work.

Throughout, Isenberg shows how class prejudice has shaped American politics, settlement patterns, and cultural identity. She concludes that “white trash” is not just an insult but a window into the enduring reality of class inequality that contradicts the American Dream.

While some of Isenberg’s chapters are hard to chew on and digest, their message is very clear. We have always had a class structure in this country and we love to pretend that it isn’t there.

‘Educating Rita’ as a wonderful example of these phenomena. Educating Rita was a 1983 movie starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. A woman takes night classes at ‘the university’ and finds to her amazement that she has the knowledge and talent to succeed there. But forces in her life all seem to conspire against her. Think of this romance/drama as the American Dream without the violins and background music. Instead, you’ll hear the scrapping of fingernails on a blackboard and the vision of the future that can’t be reached.

Another good example of this idea is the movie ‘Rudy.’ Based on a true story, ‘Rudy’ does a good job of examining the complex and confusing roles that class places on folks seeking to break out on their own mold and for those who don’t want them to leave the fold.

My latest novel entitled: ‘Agnes’ deals with an imagined love affair between a college-educated young man and a middle-age woman. She is a secretary at his work. She cares for her elderly mother in the same home she was raised in. Her life is simple and sad and complete with no window to the future until he steps into her life. Their educational backgrounds, social standings and exposure to the ‘real world’ all conspire along with their age differences to erode the affection they feel for one another. Class does matter even though people love to pretend it doesn’t.

The theme of class differences has permeated a lot of my writings. Whether in a play structure, movie or novel, the idea of class differences fascinates me.

One of my first novels ‘Love in the A Shau’ painted a picture of just this scenario with my main protagonist. I also touched on this concept briefly in several blogs: ‘Damming the Intellectuals’ and ‘Rising above Your Raisin’ as examples of social and economic crossovers.  Another blog entitled: ‘Book of ‘61’ talked about the caste system at my old high school.

That caste system (strictly my words and impression only) at Cretin High School was neither good nor bad, right nor wrong. It was simply recognition by the administration that some students were better prepared for college than other students. Test scores were the primary indicator of this placement but I’m willing to bet that socio and economic factors also played a role in that determination.

Class is a worn-out pathway we are forced to follow until such time that we consciously select a different route to travel. It is a conscious, and perhaps at other times, a subconscious decision to follow our heart and head instead of directional cues from those around us. It might mean leaving behind friends and family who choose to stay in place.

But in the end, it’s being true to oneself and seeking fulfillment where it means the most…to you…consequences be damned.

What's in Envelope Number Five?

Every generation has dealt with it; some more successfully than others. To serve, entice, mislead and help those new generations, the purveyors of happy answers always seem ready to parcel out sound advice on money management. The financial advice comes in new flavors and colors but the taste remains the same. It takes hard work to manage your money and in our capitalistic society, the carnival barkers are always there to help you along the way or so they say.

Now-a-days: it’s Buy now – Pay later. Student debt, Consumer debt and the national debt have become distasteful tidbits of conversation best left to crisis management. For many, instant gratification seems to be the answer to everything. Order it on line this morning, have it on your door step by this afternoon. The bill will come later so don’t worry about it now.

When Sharon and I first got married, ours was a different world than it is today. In the greater scheme of things, it was plainly old-fashion, neither better nor worse than today, just different.

Back in the prehistoric ages of the early 70s, we were living outside of Baltimore, Maryland in a suburb called Reisterstown; a colonial outpost back in the day. I was working at the Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting and Sharon was a stay-at-home mom.

I wanted to buy a house. Sharon was non-plus but insisted that if that was our goal then saving for it should be our total focus. She decided to budget all our expenses out of envelopes. I think she had a total of ten envelopes. If there was no money in the envelope by the end of the month, no can buy. It was our version of forced savings and it didn’t hurt us one bit. Granted, we would often miss out on the latest, greatest movie in town. We weren’t looking to live in a fancy new-build. We didn’t drive the latest model car. Summer vacations were one week away, someplace, but nothing fancy.

Starting out, we had splurged on a 3-week honeymoon in the Virgin Islands. Then our first rental was the top floor of a duplex in town. Moving to Tennessee, it was another rental. In Maryland, it was a year in an apartment and then we focused our financial energy on savings for the down-payment for our first house.

Our first home cost us $25,000. A year later, our second home in Apple Valley, Minnesota was $49,700. We’ve been there ever since. Our continuing savings plan was very simple. First came money set aside for the kid’s college education and only after that, did we start to save for retirement.

The engines driving our savings came from two incomes, my side hustles in business and real estate and a simple, yet very comfortable, lifestyle that fit our personalities. We’ve always tried to be thrifty smart and not stupid cheap. Our spending habits balanced each other out. I hate to spend money on anything. Sharon is more rational and reasonable in our purchases.

That simple savings plan has worked well for us. But time changes all things and recently I came across a fascinating article about another approach to savings for younger generations. I was jaw-boning about this new approach to financial literacy with an investor friend of mine. We talked about our own divergent pathways to retirement and he mentioned a new movement that he’s become intrigued with now.

It’s called FIRE and it purports to have found a new route to financial freedom for the younger generations. For the two of us, that would be anyone under the grand age of sixty. My friend tells me that millennials in particular seem to have gravitated toward this new ‘routine in financial living. FIRE is an acronym for ‘Financial Independence, Retire Early.’ To better understand the concept, I’ve borrowed some of the high points of this philosophy from the Investopedia web site.

The web site explains that: ‘Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a movement of people devoted to a program of extreme savings and investment that aims to allow them to retire far earlier than traditional budgets and retirement plans would permit.

Born out of the 1992 best-selling book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, FIRE came to embody a core premise of the book: People should evaluate every expense in terms of the number of working hours that it took to pay for it.

Key Takeaways of FIRE

• Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) is a financial movement defined by frugality and extreme savings and investment.
• By saving up to 70% of their annual income, FIRE proponents aim to retire early and live off small withdrawals from their accumulated funds.
• Typically, FIRE followers withdraw 3% to 4% of their savings annually to cover living expenses in retirement.
• Detailed planning, economic discipline, and wise investment are key components in achieving a FIRE retirement.
• The FIRE movement was inspired by the 1992 book Your Money or Your Life, written by two financial gurus.

The FIRE movement takes direct aim at the conventional retirement age of 65 and the industry that has grown up to encourage people to plan for it. By dedicating a majority of their income to savings, followers of the FIRE movement hope to be able to quit their jobs and live solely off small withdrawals from their portfolios decades before they reach age 65.

To cover their living expenses after retiring at a young age, FIRE devotees make small withdrawals from their savings, typically around 3% to 4% of the balance yearly. Depending on the size of their savings and their desired lifestyle, this requires extreme diligence to monitor expenses as well as dedication to the maintenance and reallocation of their investments.

Several FIRE retirement variations that dictate the lifestyle that the FIRE movement’s devotees are willing and able to maintain have evolved within it, as reported by Forbes Advisor.

• Fat FIRE—This is for the individual with a traditional lifestyle who aims to save substantially more than the average worker but doesn’t want to reduce their current standard of living. It generally takes a high salary and aggressive savings and investment strategies for it to work.
• Lean FIRE—This requires stringent adherence to minimalist living and extreme savings, necessitating a far more restricted lifestyle. Many Lean FIRE adherents live on $25,000 or less per year.
• Barista FIRE—This is for people who want to exist between the two choices above. They quit their traditional 9-to-5 jobs but use a combination of part-time work and savings to live a less-than-minimalist lifestyle. The former lets them obtain health coverage, while the latter prevents them from dipping into their retirement funds.

Sprinkled throughout the web site are some interesting points about good old simple planning ahead for retirement. For many folks, that’s easier said than done. One pundit commented that the best time to save is when you’re first starting out in a new job or getting married and settling into a new lifestyle. Of course, he never mentioned that that period in our lives is when we generally incur a lot more expenses than later on in life.

The FIRE movement has many solid, common-sense arguments in its favor. While I have no desire to poke holes in their concept, I do find one equation that is either seldom mentioned or just passed over briefly; that is, living the life you want to live. Postponing life events, small pleasures, and everyday occurrences just to save a buck doesn’t seem to me a good way to spend one’s life.

In the end, I think those FIRE proponents and I are probably talking about the same ‘means to an end.’ I’ve always felt that living within ones means, spending money wisely but still ‘having a life’ is the best way to go.

It doesn’t hurt to be able to recognize the difference between ‘having to have’ verses ‘wanting to have.’ Our good old capitalistic society thrives on the economic engine of consumption and always wanting more. But it doesn’t have to.

Real success lies in ‘living a satisfying, fulfilling life.’ It means spending as much time as you can with your kids and/or grandchildren when they’re young. It means spending quality time with your spouse or partner in life. It means taking the time to ‘smell the roses’ and treasure each day as a gift to be shared, used, enjoyed and relished as if it were your last day on earth.

Because at some point, it will be your last…and all the money in the world won’t make up for lost time or opportunities to live your life the way you want to.

Just sayin’.