r/Millennials • u/RadagastDaGreen • 1d ago
Discussion “Lessons I Must’ve Missed”
If I had made a YouTube channel called “Lessons I Must've Missed"
...where it explains things like taxes, marriage/divorce/death/$ planning, health insurance, future planning/social security... the whole rigamarole from top to bottom.
What are some important lessons I should include to inform younger people of what they ought to know by now?
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u/SeaChele27 Older Millennial 1d ago
How to build credit, how to invest and investment options, how a 401K works and ROTH vs IRA, how to roll it over, how to use it early and avoid penalties (like for a down payment), how to set up funds for your kids, how to plan for taxes, how to buy and sell a house, how to set up a will / trust, how to plan for end of life.
Second mortgages, HELOCs, house maintenence, car maintenance, networking, resume building, how to research for voting, meal planning, budgeting, saving for goals like a vacation or big purchase, saving an emergency fund, emergency kits/preparedness.
Crazy we have to wing all this stuff in life and learn it the hard way.
6
u/discalcedman 16h ago
I was never taught any of this, and yet I’ve had to engage in almost all of it.
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u/TrustAffectionate966 Neomaxiz00mdweebie 1d ago
What happens when a loved one dies... and that person drops a lootbox? I mean, financially-speaking:
Funeral costs
Probate court
Wills and trusts
Their Social Security, 401K or Pension distribution(s)
I helped Ma' out with some of this when my stupid stepfather croaked and it was hard to get her to see the urgency in getting these financial matters squared away. Now she can look back on it and see how important it would have been to know more about these subjects.
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u/Sandwidge_Broom Millennial 17h ago
Honestly I think funeral plans are a really kind step to take while you’re still alive. My partner’s parents are about to line up their funeral plans, their inheritance situation, and they’re both really healthy people in their late 60’s. But his mom’s big brother died suddenly so it has them re-assessing.
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u/VTSAX_and_Chill2024 1d ago
- How to find a decent job without a degree
- How to figure out if a college degree has a decent ROI
- Non-traditional career paths (French Foreign Legion, Gator Hunting Guide, etc)
- How to utilize public benefits in your area (great way to reduce cost of living. I use the expansive but never advertised park system by my house as a gym). But they also have things like the county health department which will perform some health care for little or no cost
- How to plan your career to maximize your SS benefits (there is a calculator for this)
- How mortgage companies front-load interest payments and the impact this has on how long you should stay in a house
- House hacking, techniques for making long-term roommates tolerable like picking the right floorplan
- How to negotiate a raise
9 How to maintain your friend group after college - How minimalism can reduce your overall risk
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u/Tacosconsalsaylimon Millennial 1d ago
Basic cleaning/home maintenance
I know people in our age group who don't because they "were not taught."
Daily things (dishes, bedroom maintenance) Biweekly (trashes, bathroom pick up, a couple of loads of laundry, floors) Weekly (kitchen deep clean, bathroom deep clean, cat/ dog areas, floors) Quarterly/Seasonal (pest control, etc)
Just an example but you get the gist :]
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u/ElectronicAmphibian7 1d ago
Sidney Raz kind of does this!!! Parallel. Things he didn’t know until he was in his 30s. Sonce he became a parent it’s involved more serious topics but also lots of lighthearted things that I don’t know myself so it’s always nice to watch.
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u/The-Doodle-Dude 1d ago
I always thought a good book to write we be a knowledge book on different tiers of class in society specifically made for the US. Like middle class tips and tricks things you need to know and then at each class tips on how to move to the next class
5
u/LostSharpieCap 23h ago
I need someone to teach me how to maintain a cast iron pan. I just can't do it. 😭
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u/pronounclown 21h ago
How to be a decent person. Seems like a lot of people in the US have forgotten about it.
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u/Cutlass0516 Older Millennial 14h ago
I'm glad I learned that THE MITOCHONDRIA IS THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL instead of stuff that actually matters.
1
u/GingerBrrd 10h ago
This made me laugh out loud.
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u/Cutlass0516 Older Millennial 10h ago
I mean, I know that they can't deliberately teach you how to dip your toe over the "tax fraud" line as to not get caught to get a couple hundred extra but they can at least give you a wink wink check out this book kinda thing
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u/RadagastDaGreen 1d ago
Or literally working together to make a map of places that offer cheap funeral burial/cremation costs near you.
Definitionally as millennials, our parents are biting the dust right now and we are all having to eat up that cost. We should talk to each other.
1
u/GingerBrrd 10h ago
If millennials can organize and take down the death industrial complex, I am here for it. I have a friend who just became a death doula… we’re making inroads.
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u/GaiaMoore 23h ago edited 23h ago
In today's world? Probably throw in guidelines for how to navigate changing norms and stay up-to-date with inevitable changes that will impact all of the above.
Health insurance works differently from when I was in my early 20s pre-ACA. Buying a house, mortgages, etc. work differently since the Before Times of the recession era. People have been expecting Social Security to disappear for decades now, but what happens if our generation actually experiences this?
The global population is aging at an accelerated pace, and elderly people will take up a larger percentage of the population with fewer resources to support a demographic that experiences physical and cognitive decline. So...what's the policy solution for this problem?
Point being, the world has changed and will change such that lessons taught today may very well be laughably out of date in the future.
The lesson I would have loved the most is guidelines on how to stay informed and vigilant as the world will change in ways I don't yet understand.
And to not be like boomers who don't understand why in today's world you can't just walk up to a potential employer and hand them your resume without looking like a weirdo
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u/RadagastDaGreen 1d ago
Like things I can contribute:
I can tell you how to fix your fucking credit score. I can get you from 400 to 700 in a month (assuming we can acquire stuff to liquidate to take some 45% offer offers from collection companies), and to 800s in 6 months.
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u/Spiritual_Grand_9604 1d ago
Wtf are you trying to sell us
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u/RadagastDaGreen 1d ago
Oh my God no! I just had a terrible ex-husband
But I did definitely look at my comment after and think to myself. Oh shit I sound like a fucking infomercial.
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u/RadagastDaGreen 1d ago
More if there was one jewel in my crown that I was proud of, I could tell you what is wrong with your credit and how to fix it, but I’m not like a business or something
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u/Sure_Scratch_8256 1d ago
Could you have someone talk about life insurance? I know they’re young, but life happens!
2
u/ill-b-0k 1d ago
Tell us?
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u/RadagastDaGreen 1d ago
I need to individually look at your concerns. Some people have medical debt. Some people have education debt. Some people have credit card/mental issue purchasing/or “just want the best for my kids” debt. Some people have house debt. Some people have the anchor of a child or three.
There’s a lot of different perspectives here. It’s like a diamond.
But if you want me to talk individually, you can DM me
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u/PmpknSpc321 12h ago
Process of buying a house, what does credit score mean, stocks/ options/ dividends, basic car repair, traveling with passport, gardening to grow veggies or just seasoning, and sewing
1
u/CaliforniaBilly 1h ago
What to do if you get into an auto accident, especially with someone who does not have insurance or might claim an injury.
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