Getting it Right - Welcome

The goal of this blog is to publish my thoughts on a variety of economic and political topics in the hopes that people who find them educational or beneficial will utilize them and/or forward to others who might find them interesting and/or worthwhile to promote to others, possibly including politicians who can push some of these ideas to fruition. The topics in my blog are meant to be of value on a long term basis, not a daily diary or political issue of the day log. If the information posted is useful to you, by all means utilize it and/or forward it as you see fit. If not useful, then merely ignore it. There are no universally agreed upon truisms and too little tolerance between some of those with opposing viewpoints to successfully convince the people with hardened opinions to move away from them. I am an analytical type person who will try to be as factual as I am able.

I disdain the current popularity of name calling and condemnation of viewpoints with no factual alternatives or logical solutions given that I see so often. If you don't have a solution based on fact and logic, then opt out of the discussion because you have nothing to contribute. My background is a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and 39 years working in middle management jobs for a major retailer. My opinions are forged on the personal experence of life, family, friends, and work as well as triumphs and mistakes that I have made and hopefully learned from. My hope is that this blog helps you.

My first topic will be about personal finance. I chose that one first because most of us work long and hard just to survive but not all of us realize our dreams of becoming financially independent from the labors of our work. Much of our political votes/thinking also focus on the economy and in particular how well we are personally doing financially.

It is relatively simple, without sacrificing the enjoyment of living for 'today' and even at moderate incomes, to retire as a millionaire or multi-millionaire, if you focus on that goal consistently from a young age. It is also simple to ensure that your child or grandchild retires rich. It merely requires a one time gift of just $2,000 invested wisely and the passage of time. Please read my first post on this blog to learn more.


Getting it right on Politics, Economics, and Personal Finance

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Sunday, August 10, 2025

Home Ownership Trends in America

Home ownership has dropped to 65% of Americans today from its peak of 69% in 2004. The news articles on them blame high costs and interest rates for that trend. Certainly, that is a factor, but not the most important factor. Here are the real major main factors for shrinking home ownership:

1. People are marrying much later in life compared to previous decades. The average age for first marriages in the United States is around 30.2 years for men and 28.6 years for women as of 2024. In the 1950s, the average age for men was 22.5 years and women 20.1 years.

2. Normally people wait until they are married and especially when they have kids before looking for homes. The birth rate in the U.S. has recently dropped to an all-time low of about 1.6 children per woman, according to 2024 data.

I and my wife were 20 and 21 when we married in 1968, and 26 years old when we had our first child. We moved into our first house when we were 25. It would have been sooner than that if I had not been drafted into the US Army at age 22; released at age 24.

3. The percentage of adults 25 to 35 living with their parents has more than doubled from 7% in 1970 to 17% currently.

Yet nobody talks about those important key factors when discussing home ownership rates. They paint it as a problem, but the reality is that it is caused by free will, intentional, major lifestyle changes for today's younger generation.
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