[brnlsl]

This kinda stuff just drives me nuts. No, they're not all trust fund kids. The OP quit her job at Dropbox(!), and it looks like her previous jobs were at Squarespace(!) and MailChimp(!). I can only assume that she is highly skilled and productive and has been well compensated for it for years. Perhaps she saved up? Some people have good jobs and save money. Is that hard to understand?

[cgearhart]

>Is that hard to understand?

Yes. And I don't mean that in a dismissive sense. I have a well-compensated job in a moderate cost of living area. I have tried hard to live thrifty and to save money, but my obligations always seem to scale with income. From shifts in tax burden after marriage & children (AMT anyone?), unexpected health expenses, to rate increases for daycare that scale with income, I have never received a raise that resulted in a net increase in my income. I have a positive net worth at this point (barely), but I still live paycheck-to-paycheck.

I marvel at and envy the kind of financial independence that would allow someone to quit a job on the spot. For as long as I've been an adult, I've had expenses (student loan payments, bills & utilities, housing, etc.) that far exceed my ability to pay without a regular stream of income. And my obligations have only increased over time as I built a family.

>Some people have good jobs and save money.

In my experience that isn't enough. You also need good luck to have good health - a few trips to the hospital can empty a savings account (at least in the US). You also need to live in an area where your skills are not just valuable, but where there is a competitive market for them. I have a number of fairly unique, highly-technical skills -- but they are only valuable to a few employers, and they are located in distinct, remote locations (so there is a high opportunity cost to move between them, and few openings). It also helps to have the good fortune of manageable expenses. In my experience, student loan debt is an anchor on young folks because it drains the very savings that would grant the financial freedom that would let them shop for the best job opportunities.

I don't begrudge anyone their success, but I often wonder how everyone else manages to get by at all, let alone so spectacularly as this.

[gregd]

Thank you for this well written and thoughtful response. It's how I've been feeling and what I would have said, if I had taken the time to write it out.

[icedchai]

You know the average American is incapable of saving even 5% of their income, right? That's why this is so unbelievable to some.

[yummyfajitas]

Strangely, the average Indian (vastly poorer than even poor Americans) manages to save 20%.

Lets distinguish "incapable of saving" from "unwilling to reduce consumption".

[icedchai]

I think "consumption" is baked into American culture. Most people are not going to save, period.

[thfuran]

Am I merely "unwilling to reduce consumption" if I refuse to save money by not paying for internet or a cellphone plan?

[itsybitsycoder]

Are those really the only optional expenses you have? I would find that very surprising.

[brnlsl]

I'm not saying that everyone should have the luxury to leave their job if they aren't happy, and if you don't then there is something wrong with you. I'm saying that the implication that if someone does have that luxury it's because they're rich (trust fund) kids is ridiculous.

It's not like she said "I quit my job on a whim and am going to go travel through Europe for a year to find myself". She's clearly a talented person with a sought-after skill and she probably knows she'll be able to find another job, this one just wasn't working out.

"You know the average American..." - She's not an average American. She worked at Dropbox. She is a tech-industry professional that has worked at some highly successful companies for a number of years.

[icedchai]

By "Average American" I meant a person with typical (bad) personal finance skills who doesn't save. They simply spend everything they make. And usually then some, getting into CC debt.