I completely agree with you, it’s scarily easy to inflate your lifestyle or even not inflate it that much and just spend inefficiently.
Still, it might be worth keeping in mind that W2 salaried upper middle class is the highest taxed segment of the US population. People who make more by owning companies and assets are taxed less, people who make less are taxed less.
If you spent those 10 years paying for daycare, paying for after school programs, saving for your kids’ college (because you expect to pay nearly full price due to your income), and making other logically sound luxury spending decisions like eating fresh healthy foods rather than survival staples or taking a vacation because you only live once, I can see how you can end up with not quite enough savings.
Or you might have a runway but you know it is really unwise to spend it, which ends up effectively making you functionally destitute by choice.
Still, it might be worth keeping in mind that W2 salaried upper middle class is the highest taxed segment of the US population. People who make more by owning companies and assets are taxed less, people who make less are taxed less.
If you spent those 10 years paying for daycare, paying for after school programs, saving for your kids’ college (because you expect to pay nearly full price due to your income), and making other logically sound luxury spending decisions like eating fresh healthy foods rather than survival staples or taking a vacation because you only live once, I can see how you can end up with not quite enough savings.
Or you might have a runway but you know it is really unwise to spend it, which ends up effectively making you functionally destitute by choice.