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A comment on The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be Happy (2010). Parent comment

Re:The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be... by dragontamer on Tuesday August 16, 2016 @05:09PM (#12300676)
> It's pretty damn hard to buy a new luxury car with below-average intelligence, social skills, discipline, determination, etc.

Yeah. That's why they lease those cars.

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Its rather easy today to borrow money and get things that are completely unsustainable. Nothing against people who actually like leasing cars (some people MUST have a new car every 2 years, so its cheaper to lease than to buy).

But a huge number of people who are leasing cars simply can't afford the car. So instead, they go for a "low cost monthly plan" that doesn't build any wealth at all.

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Re:The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be... by aianus on Tuesday August 16, 2016 @06:16PM (#12301040)
Having $500/mo in free cash flow for the lease payment already shows that you're richer than the majority of twenty-something males.

It's just a heuristic, of course, but it does establish a bare minimum of financial success.

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Re:The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes It Hard to Be... by dragontamer on Tuesday August 16, 2016 @07:22PM (#12301409)
> Having $500/mo in free cash flow for the lease payment already shows that you're richer than the majority of twenty-something males.

Nah, it really could just mean someone HAD managed to save up $2000 and are about to get that car repossessed in 4 months.

And based on the ridiculously dumb financial decisions of my friends and peers... that's what happens. Albeit with smaller decisions, but I've seen thousand+-dollar financial mistakes before.

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