I overheard someone talking loudly about how the American Dream is dead and that the future is bleak. I definitely think there's a lot to change, but it doesn't seem like the American Dream is gone for good. Finding a job has been difficult, and the cost of living is out of control, but I think it's still possible to live a decent life. Thoughts?

So salaries are low, housing costs are high, inflation is pretty rampant… but let’s all still pretend the “dream” is achievable!

While we’re at it, might as well buy a lottery ticket and tell everyone how you’re almost a millionaire

The dream is definitely slipping out of reach for more people every year. As someone who is relatively very fortunate from an income perspective, I can easily say I am not nearly as secure as I would have expected. It’s very hard to truly get ahead in a way that you can buy a home, raise kids, weather storms and choose to leave a toxic work environment.

As a foreigner, I didn’t come here pursuing the advertised “American dream”. I came here to have a balanced life where I don’t need to chose to pay my car over my rent and viceversa because salary won’t cover both. I came here choosing to pursue peace as my country was being destroyed by cartels and finally I came here to create my own dream, not someone else’s :)

I'm pretty sure that dream has been dead for quite a while.

8 months after being laid off I finally have an offer, but it does come at a pay cut compared to what I was making before. Add to that using my savings, credit cards, and a 401k withdrawal, I am pretty confident I'm never going to retire if you add all that up plus the rising cost of everything, but I'll try to live a decent life in the meantime.

The American Dream is dying off with the boomer generation. People are just trying to survive, is that the "dream"?

There are a lot of new millionaires at SpaceX.. some of them were very low level employees too.

The dream is pretty tough. I came from a fairly poor background with constantly breaking family cars and zero family vacations. I learned some great lessons in the air force about finances, investing, discipline, and hard work. I have applied those in my civilian life, and i feel i am on the cusp of reaching the dream. Or at least, my own dream of having a big house, an acre of land, reliable cars, and hopefully a boat..

It takes time and sacrifice though. I'm in my 40s now, with a few kids. We don't get new cars unless they're absolutely necessary, and unfortunately a minivan was necessary. We have never had cable. Only Prime, as a tv subscription. Few vacations. I worked in the Air Guard on the side for 20 yrs. Last year, i became a millionaire (before our stock took off) with a total intel income of 115k. It is achievable. But many don't have the financial discipline and education that is necessary. Public schools failed many, and theyre getting worse fast. This can be overcome. There are videos on youtube teaching about investing and strategies. Hopefully you have some discernment for which influencer to follow.

I also feel like I've had God's blessing. Not that He's given me extra money. But He's kept me on a nondestructive path with wisdom and a longterm vision.

I hope this is encouraging to you guys. I'm not wealthy, and I've always been underpaid. But achieving 7 figures is still a significant milestone in Oregon. And I'm continuing the climb.

There’s a new dream. Freedom, flexibility and making ends meet. Many people have come to terms with the fact that owning a nice house, having a big family and vacationing isn’t all attainable so they choose what they care most about. Like wfh, people want to be able to have more free time and not commute. Vacation days. That kind of thing.

Boomers killed the American dream after they got theirs.

I agree — the American Dream isn’t dead, it’s just evolving. Yes, jobs are tougher and costs are high, but opportunities in crypto, entrepreneurship, and skill-based side hustles have never been more accessible. Many are building real wealth through Bitcoin compounding, smart investing, and creating their own income streams instead of relying on traditional paths alone.
It takes grit and adaptability, but a decent (even great) life is still very achievable. The dream is what you make it.

It’s dead. Now we fight to survive

American Dream died sometime in the early 2000s. That was around the last time it was affordable and you could buy a house. Rents were pretty reasonable relatively speaking. I’m single and bought my house end of 2009.

The American Dream still exists for the wealthy and rich. Beyond that, the American dream ended many years ago.

I agree the American Dream is dead. Offshoring, outsourcing, and automating have killed American jobs. It's only going to get worse

Stop pursuing the dream other people told you to have.

Like Scully on the X-files, I want to believe. But the evidence is very weak at this point.

The political/economic system (and, yes, it is now a single system) is now configured to benefit the very wealthy at the expense of everyone else. As long as money drives politics - as long as Citizens United stands and lobbyists can pay off politicians and billionaires determine public policy - the American Dream is gone. And because those few who benefit hold all the cards, even superficial changes from red to blue in the government don't matter.