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Graham Stephan 20 Apr 2026 35 here now

Why $170,000 Is The New ‘Poor’

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@rc8929 From YouTube ↗ 22 May 2026 4
I talked to my family about this recently. When I was a kid 30 years ago entertainment was extremely expensive. Movies, toys, TVs, games, etc etc etc.

But now that stuff is cheap, but what is extremely expensive is the basics like healthcare, housing, education, daycare, staples (food/gas to some extent, but not as much as others). This is the needs and are expensive, but the wants are damn cheap compared to 30 years ago. This is what is concerning.
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@Na5Daq From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 2
We’re in a recession when I skip a commercial, to just listen to graham pitch me a product he’s getting paid to push.
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@codyb3828 From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 19
Why’d I just realize, Grahams twin is Tom Cruise haha. Same mannerisms, too.
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@Yo-lg4hv From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 16
A decade ago a 29-31 year old first time home owner is 39-41 today. How?
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As a newly grad, it’s frustrating how difficult it is to live a healthy balanced life and not go into debt.
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@vhol93 From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 39
What a time to be alive... I'm tired boss !
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I have no idea what that feels like. My entire life I've lived off of need, not want. Also, no matter what, I've always chosen to live below my means. Most Americans refuse to make extreme sacrifices to get ahead. Good luck!
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@FlexLex From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 17
When I entered the workforce, I kept hearing about the concept of "lifestyle creep" where people continue living paycheck to paycheck because their spending rises with higher earnings. Well I've not changed my lifestyle at all in the last four years, but my hobbies all became twice as expensive in that time. Soon I won't be able to afford to keep the same old lifestyle despite earning more!
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@Monetivra From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 62
The 'Barbell Effect' mentioned at is terrifying. We are moving toward a society of the 'Affluent' and the 'Impoverished' with nothing in the middle. The fact that homeowners have 44x more wealth than renters proves that the barrier to entry has become a gate. If you don't get over that wall now, the cost of 'catching up' becomes mathematically impossible. Stop confusing income with wealth. One pays your bills, the other buys your freedom. 📈
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The whole country is "poor" at this point. The elites are just ruling over a dumpster fire. They became so selfish and greedy that they now own a wasteland of suffering and only have themselves to blame for it.
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Nothing is coming down, it was just starting to go up a little slower. And now it’s ramping up again
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$900,000 starter home 🏚 What a time to be alive~
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@usptact From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 35
Came here for my daily dose of handwaving.
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2027, US government replaces the atmosphere with farts, multiple politicians found buying huge positions in air freshener companies just minutes before the decision
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If 170k is poor, I’m living in poverty 😭😭
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@Myrune1 From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 267
The middle class simply isn't getting raises that keep up with inflation. That's been true for decades now.
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Best part? This will only get worse from here. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
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@MaryJ-g7z From YouTube ↗ 22 Apr 2026 253
No one screwed up. This is being done by design. A controlled demolition if you will….
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If 170k is poor then I guess I’m somewhere between “dirt poor” and “Hella poor.”
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--Here is a link containing the source material for each piece of research cited. I do my best to make my videos as accurate as I can, and the additional resources should help anyone who wants to look into them further - enjoy! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I92hUlxNi6j3u3BeVa…
-To try out Rocket Money today and unlock more features with premium, head to: rocketmoney.com/graham - Enjoy!