Are We There Yet - Part 2?

I had no sooner posted the previous story when I realized there was more to the story that I had wanted to tell. So the previous story became “Are We There Yet – Part 1” and this story is “Are We There Yet – Part 2.”

Spoiler alert – yes, we are there and yes, we have arrived. Perhaps not by Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman’s definition and perhaps not by your definition, but yes we are there and yes we have arrived – at least by my definition.

According to a Google search I just performed, roughly 308 million people in the US are active on social media. With the exception of the occasional “cat video,” I am not one of those people. Also according to a Google search I just performed, there are literally millions of social media influencers with millions and millions of followers. Yeah, as you probably guessed, I am not one of those followers.

Note: While a website can be a social media platform, most are not. Most websites, including this one, are static in design and do not provide for the interaction that social media platforms do. This particular website nurtures my own personal geekiness and exists for entertainment purposes only – mine and hopefully yours.

I first embraced the information age in the seventies – bought my first computer in 1981. That said, I have survived well into my seventies without the benefit of social media – excepting for those previously mentioned “cat videos.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do recognize that a lot of useful information is provided via social media. I also know that there is a lot of misinformation provided as well. And it’s not always easy to discern which is which. And it would be a pretty weird world if we all looked, talked, walked, ate, and dressed the same.

Recently I watched a snippet of a Dave Ramsey video in which a young couple shared their financial woes. They were in debt several hundred thousand dollars and they each drove luxury vehicles they could not afford. They were drowning in debt because they believed it was necessary that they create the appearance that they had arrived. Yes, they had arrived alright – at the poor house. So sad – so very sad.

Yesterday I saw a headline in which Suze Orman stated that 2 million dollars was chump change and anyone retiring today would need a much larger nest egg. Sorry Suze, I beg to differ. I am willing to bet that there are a whole lot of people currently retired whose nest egg is a whole lot smaller than 2 million dollars. I would also be willing to bet that they (and we) are doing just fine.

Without a doubt, starting out today at eighteen and nineteen is different than it was when Judy and I started out. The 1960s and the 2020s are very dissimilar times. So too are the generational mindsets between us boomers and the current generation. Raise your hand if you got as excited in the 2020s as I did in the 1970s the first year you earned ten thousand dollars. Fun fact: According to amortization.org, $10,000 in 1960 is equivalent to $107,348.64 in 2025. Which, according to moneywise.com is well below the average salary that Gen Zs say they need to feel financially healthy.

Single car families today are far fewer than back in the day. Today’s homes have far more modern conveniences than we did starting out. No, Judy didn’t use a wringer washer. Then again, we still don’t own a microwave.

As I mentioned in Part 1, life isn’t a board game. And Uncle Wiggily and Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy aren’t waiting at the finish line. There are no trophies. There are no consolation prizes.

Live your life, not somebody else’s. Measure your successes and shortcomings with your tape measure, not somebody else’s. Don’t agonize over the things you wanted to say or do but didn’t. Likewise, don’t berate yourself over the places and foods you wanted to experience but didn’t.

Are we there yet? Yes we are. We are exactly where we need to be. And tomorrow, no matter where we are, we will be exactly where we need to be. Have we arrived? Yes we have. Warts and all.