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My uncle retired from his factory job at 55 with a full pension and medical benefits for life. I am 34 and working 50 hours a week just to match a 3% 401(k) contribution. He bought his first 4-bedroom home at 26 on a single income. My wife and I both work full-time corporate jobs and can't pass an underwriting check for a townhouse. He paid $1,200 total for his entire four-year college tuition in 1978. I pay $380 a month just to keep up with the interest on mine. At Thanksgiving, he asked why our generation spends so much time complaining instead of building equity. I smiled. Didn’t tell him his entire net worth was subsidized by an economy that got dismantled behind him. Didn’t tell him the safety net he relies on is being funded by workers who will never see a dime of it. Didn’t tell him that "working hard" used to buy a life, but now it barely buys entry. Just passed the gravy. Make it make sense.