In a saturated Internet filled with "experts" and plenty of personal blogs, why create another self-interested platform about something so mundane as personal finance?
I am writing from a perspective of Western culture, a consumerism culture that normalizes owing debt and conditions its citizens to constantly compare the material wealth one has to another. Too many struggle, even when it seems like someone has a cushy life. The reality is that it's easy for someone earning a steady income to find themselves at risk for homelessness- it only takes the loss of a few paychecks, a couple unexpected mishaps. Plus, having money may make it easy for a person to buy all of their basic necessities (and then some) but it doesn't always lead to personal fulfillment or happiness. At the end of the day, we all have bills to pay and we're trying to take care of ourselves and loved ones the best we can. This project is an endeavor to break down the social stigma of talking about money where possible, without judgment.
No one is perfect. Every person can manage their personal finances differently than how they are now, regardless of monthly income. There are "better" strategies to do so, but no single "right" or "correct" way. Therefore, this is less of an instructional website or advice column and more of a chance for me to offer a place where I can share experiences you might relate to and share your own.
As to the name, 'Not a Boomerang':
Millennial. Generation Y. The Boomerang Generation.
There has been obvious difficulty in pinning my generation down, and a mass inclination toward overusing creative nicknames when trying to do so. It's not hard to see why. To start, a simple Internet search will yield a wide range of included birth years, generally the 1980's (like me) through the early 2000's. During the Great Recession, my peers were beginning our careers while those born later may not have been alive before 9/11/01. How does that make sense?
This gripe aside (since every preceding generation could make the same complaint), there are many overlapping circumstances that make this generation tough to encapsulate in a descriptive word or two. War? Not new. Terrorism? Not entirely new. Financial crises? Several. Education reform? Always an issue, though the Western world has become even more enamored with promoting the pursuit and attainment of higher education in recent years, along with the push for excessive standardized testing and accountability. A boom in technology? The Industrial Revolution, anyone? Admittedly, the expectation of immediacy and communicating in real-time has hit a pinnacle unseen before in history. Coming of age during a time with all of the above though, in an interconnected global market? There you go.
The 20's-30's are a weird time in adulthood. My peers and I are all over the place, in varying stages of hitting milestones we feel pressured to reach. No matter how old you are, we all have the commonality of trying to figure life out, one way or another. As you might have guessed, I'm not a boomerang (more on that in future posts) but I am excited to begin this blog. It will grow and change over time. Welcome!
I am writing from a perspective of Western culture, a consumerism culture that normalizes owing debt and conditions its citizens to constantly compare the material wealth one has to another. Too many struggle, even when it seems like someone has a cushy life. The reality is that it's easy for someone earning a steady income to find themselves at risk for homelessness- it only takes the loss of a few paychecks, a couple unexpected mishaps. Plus, having money may make it easy for a person to buy all of their basic necessities (and then some) but it doesn't always lead to personal fulfillment or happiness. At the end of the day, we all have bills to pay and we're trying to take care of ourselves and loved ones the best we can. This project is an endeavor to break down the social stigma of talking about money where possible, without judgment.
No one is perfect. Every person can manage their personal finances differently than how they are now, regardless of monthly income. There are "better" strategies to do so, but no single "right" or "correct" way. Therefore, this is less of an instructional website or advice column and more of a chance for me to offer a place where I can share experiences you might relate to and share your own.
As to the name, 'Not a Boomerang':
Millennial. Generation Y. The Boomerang Generation.
There has been obvious difficulty in pinning my generation down, and a mass inclination toward overusing creative nicknames when trying to do so. It's not hard to see why. To start, a simple Internet search will yield a wide range of included birth years, generally the 1980's (like me) through the early 2000's. During the Great Recession, my peers were beginning our careers while those born later may not have been alive before 9/11/01. How does that make sense?
This gripe aside (since every preceding generation could make the same complaint), there are many overlapping circumstances that make this generation tough to encapsulate in a descriptive word or two. War? Not new. Terrorism? Not entirely new. Financial crises? Several. Education reform? Always an issue, though the Western world has become even more enamored with promoting the pursuit and attainment of higher education in recent years, along with the push for excessive standardized testing and accountability. A boom in technology? The Industrial Revolution, anyone? Admittedly, the expectation of immediacy and communicating in real-time has hit a pinnacle unseen before in history. Coming of age during a time with all of the above though, in an interconnected global market? There you go.
The 20's-30's are a weird time in adulthood. My peers and I are all over the place, in varying stages of hitting milestones we feel pressured to reach. No matter how old you are, we all have the commonality of trying to figure life out, one way or another. As you might have guessed, I'm not a boomerang (more on that in future posts) but I am excited to begin this blog. It will grow and change over time. Welcome!
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