Meanwhile all the parents are dealing with meltdowns 🤷🏼♀️
When you zoom out to total wealth, which includes savings, investments, retirement accounts, and debt, the gap widens: DINKs have $214,700 in median wealth, while couples with kids have $361,500. DINKs have $165,000 in home equity, compared with $222,000 for couples with kids, but that’s just the housing piece of their finances.
Despite kids pushing adults to flock to the suburbs, current DINKs still may have children in the future. One of the biggest headwinds though, is that homeownership is becoming less attainable for younger Americans.
While younger generations struggle to scrape up payments on their first starter home, boomers bought homes when ownership was more affordable, leading them to acquiring the most of the nation’s wealth today.
And the generational tension is deepening. Soaring home prices and limited supply on the market are locking younger buyers out. What’s more distressing for young folks is that boomers are choosing to hold on to their homes to pass on to their kids or age in place, reaping the benefits from increased home values.
Ultimately, the rise of DINKs says less about changing priorities and more about the economic realities reshaping what the American Dream looks like for a new generation.
