Quote Originally Posted by Aaron View Post
Your point I guess is that there is still a chance of social mobility if you make the effort, rather than just moaning about how unfair life is.

I agree.

Although I am suggesting for someone born to the wrong family social mobility is getting harder rather than easier. The main reason being monetary policy.

The example of your nephew includes the inevitable "helping hand" from family but by the sounds of it he would be doing well anyway maybe just not as well as quickly.
I am not 100% sure what you mean by social mobility. If it means both parties need to come to a common ground then yes.

I am nearing 50 and I "moan" a bit about the next generation and feel if they want to get ahead they need to look how their previous generation did things. I feel the kids of today don't need everything they feel they need. People don't need a $2000 cell phone. Kids of today have so much help from parents in way of daycare. Daycare never existed for my parents. Benefits were less. No working for families. One parent had to stay at home as their parents or family were unavailable. If they could not afford to live in the street they chose they moved to a street they could afford. Again different mentality.

Of course people don't need to go as rugged as our parents generation. Sometimes I feel my parents have some jealousy how the kids of today live. They feel many live and don't plan for tomorrow. I read an interesting article in the Herald, more a letter to the editor in the business section. I will write about it how I remembered it below.

My husband is 69 and has started having medical problems. He still works and I want him to finish up with work. He feels that if he did they would be homeless within a few years. Later you find he has a freehold house and 4 million dollars???? Always planning for the just in case. It is built into them.