Worse. I wouldn’t have been able to get a house if it weren’t for an unexpected inheritance. By the time I was my kids age my dad had taken me all over the country and I’ve only been able to take my kid to places within a few states. All the investment vehicles that my parents told me to trust have just sucked money away so I have no retirement savings other than whatever is left of theirs when they pass. My vehicle just turned 20 and while it’s reliable, I can’t afford for something to happen to it.

All I have going for me is that I’m not in tremendous debt but that means my credit is poor because I don’t constantly owe people money. My parents were able to get loans without automatic denial based on credit checks because those didn’t exist when they were buying homes. They were able to get a house, watch the value double or triple over the next 15 years, and sell it for a huge profit.