The American Dream: The Family, the House, the Car—Could It Cost Us Financial Stability?

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This is the fourth post in a five-part series that explores how the traditional “American Dream” does not fit today’s world. The rest of the series will discuss what once constituted success and whether these sought-after milestones should be left alone, tweaked, or changed altogether. Read the first three articles here: “The American Dream: How Has the Definition Changed Over the Years?,” “The American Dream: Are Traditional Values and Beliefs Helpful or Harmful Today?,” and “The American Dream: Your Well-Paying 9-5 Job Will Build You Wealth—Reality or Myth?“

In the last three posts of the series, we looked at the current definition of the American Dream and what was wrong with the first four steps. Here we will evaluate steps five and six.

But first, a quick reminder of all 10 steps:

1. Go to high school and get good grades.
2. Go to college and get good grades (while probably taking out student loans).
3. Get a good job.
4. Continue to spend more as one makes more.
5. Get married and have 2.3 kids and a dog.
6. Buy the nicest house and car one can afford (financing both).
7. Work for 40+ years to support one’s family.
8. Retire at age 65.
9. Enjoy the good life.
10. Leave your children a nice inheritance when you die.

What’s Wrong With the Traditional Version of the “American Dream”?

Step 5: Get married and have 2.3 kids and a dog.

Let’s start with the “married” part. Marriage is still an important part of the American Dream, as it was early in the 20^th century. But I think it’s safe to say that marriage can look different nowadays.

Same-sex marriages are now a part of the American landscape (whether you agree with them or not). Also, divorce rates are much higher than 50 years ago. And many Americans are in their third, fourth, or fifth marriages.

A happy marriage is something most Americans still aspire to have, however. It still retains significance in the American Dream, even if it is a bit altered today.

What we can take a look at is the No. 1 (or No. 2, depending on your source of information) reason for divorce: finances.

If you pay attention at all to BiggerPockets (and I assume you do), then you are someone who prioritizes personal finance. I am not a marriage or couples counselor—far from it. But many experts propose having finance discussions with a potential spouse very early on. That is good advice, in my opinion. Marrying someone who shares the same financial outlook will likely be a much smoother and more enjoyable experience.

If you are out there in the dating world, look for someone like-minded about finances. If you are genuinely sold on REI or the FIRE movement, it would be wise to find someone who shares your enthusiasm.

Now, how about kids? I don’t pretend to have a checklist or roadmap that would fit everyone on this subject. When someone chooses to have kids is a very emotional and personal decision. But if you have the opportunity to have your little ones once you are financially ready, you are setting your family up for a better chance of success. Bottom line: kids are expensive.

Related: 7 Ways to Screw Up Your Kid’s Financial Future (& How to Avoid It)

Lastly, how about that puppy?! A dog is expensive, too. (And most other pets, for that matter.) It should be a privilege to own a pet. Most would agree that one should only get Bruno when the expenses of having his smiling face around do not interfere with your short-term or long-term financial goals. This is best for you and your pup.

Step 6: Buy the nicest house and car one can afford.

This step is rooted in step four, which was “Continue to spend more as one makes more.” It is also supported by the need to “keep up with the Joneses.” The reason this sentiment exists at all is because it just feels good to live in a beautiful, big house and drive a fancy, expensive car.

The very first paragraph of page one in the book The Millionaire Next Door is precisely relevant here. It says:

“Twenty years ago, we began studying how people become wealthy. Initially, we did it just as you might imagine, by surveying people in so-called upscale neighborhoods across the country. In time, we discovered something odd. Many people who live in expensive homes and drive luxury cars do not actually have much wealth. Then we discovered something even odder: Many people who have a great deal of wealth do not even live in upscale neighborhoods.”

Why is that? The answer isn’t too hard to figure out. Those who spend loads of money on fancy houses, cars, restaurants, and vacations often don’t have any money left. They spend everything they have. (After all, that is the American way.)

And on the flip side, those who save and invest their money instead of spending it on the lovely house, fancy car, and other wants have been able to build up plenty of wealth. And wealth is the key to reaching financial independence and no longer having to work.

Those in the upscale neighborhoods will most likely have to continue working until they are 65 (or older) to pay for all of their purchases. Meanwhile, those who choose to save and invest their money are much more likely to reach financial freedom early in their life. This is due to the enormous amount of wealth that can be accumulated by only spending money on “enough” plus a little more, as FIRE expert Vicki Robin likes to say.

Besides, a house with a ton of equity is not necessarily the best way to hoard your net worth. Robert Kiyosaki argues that a house is a “fake” asset; it’s actually a liability. It usually costs more money to have a house than it brings in, even with appreciation.

With these ideas in mind, many are now opening up to other ways to look at their houses and cars—ways that are focused on long-term goals and not short-term gratification.

When it comes to housing, many are warming up to the idea of house hacking. (Thank you, Craig Curelop, for writing an excellent book on this!) Some are renting a place with roommates longer than usual. Others are living in less square footage than they could afford, whether buying or renting.

Related: Why Having Roommates as an Adult (and an Investor) Is the Best

In a 2019 report by Zumper.com, they found that 32 percent of respondents said they do not believe that the American Dream involves homeownership: “This continued trend signals a shift away from owning a home as the American goal and reveals new trends in the renter lifestyle. In fact, one in five respondents confirmed they do not have plans to buy a home in their lifetime.” (1)

There are a lot of blog articles and forum posts on BiggerPockets arguing that owning a house, even a nice one, is still a solid financial move. As with most things, whether to own a house and how nice of a house to own are individual choices that need to be customized to one’s circumstances.

But what is clear is that not everyone is buying a home today to mark that box off from the American Dream checklist.

Now the car…

Buying a new car is one of the most detrimental financial decisions that most Americans make. Period.

I feel like I’m about to repeat what so many before me have said about owning a car, but I’ll do it anyway for the unlikely newbie who is coming across this startling information for the first time. (But I’ll leave out the numbers and intricate details here.)

Cars cost money. I’m talking about the money to buy one. I’m talking about the money to own one. As I write this, my truck (six years old) is in the shop. I’ll be picking it up in about an hour. While I was driving home from work yesterday, the “service engine” icon lit up. That light is going to cost me around $200. Lucky me.

Consider:

• Gas
• Insurance
• State registration
• Maintenance
• Repairs
• Tires
• DEPRECIATION

The last one is the biggie. If you buy a brand new car, you would be better off taking a third of the purchase price and putting it on black at a Vegas roulette table. At least in Vegas, there’s a chance you could make money.

Meanwhile, if you sold that car a month later, you would’ve lost around a third of its “new” value. So, if you’ve bought a new car in your lifetime, you’re a sucker.

It takes one to know one. I’m a sucker, too. I’ve bought new cars. And I regret it.

Never again.

Instead, buy a car that’s six to eight years old, has relatively low mileage, is dependable, is common, and safely gets you from A to B. Do that, and you just saved yourself tens of thousands of dollars when you factor in the potential compounding effect on the money you saved and invested over the time you own that new car. Congrats to you and me when we buy that used car next time.

“Commuting costs (and time) can and absolutely should be eliminated or drastically reduced… Putting yourself in a position to bike or walk to work [or classes] is the best solution to buy back your time and save yourself from the different negative consequences of commuting… The most ridiculous way to commute to work [or school] is with a newer, financed four-wheel drive vehicle that gets less than 20 miles per gallon, and to do this over a distance of more than 10 miles each way.” —From Set for Life by Scott Trench

Other pieces of advice:

• How about this: Don’t even own a car. If you live in a year-round warm climate, consider owning an electric scooter, moped, or bike instead of a car. On a rainy day, you can always get an Uber/Lyft if needed. Oh yeah, you could possibly take public transportation, too. Plus, no parking to pay for. Can you live without a car? Don’t just immediately say, “No.” Give it some real consideration. 
• Don’t ever take out a loan to buy a car. If you don’t have enough money saved up to buy the one you want, then either save more money or buy a less expensive car.
• When choosing a used car to buy, look for the highest MPG, durability, dependability, safety, and resale value (unless you’re going to keep it forever). Also look for low miles, a clean/clear title, one (or few) previous owners, and an accident-free vehicle (try checking with CARFAX). Get a popular model, one you see everywhere on the road. (Think Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus, etc.) And have a mechanic of your choice do a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) before you buy it.

The next article in this series about the America Dream will analyze steps seven and eight.

Sources

1. https://www.zumper.com/blog/2019/10/2019-state-of-the-american-renter-report/

What are your thoughts about having a dog, a new car, or as much house as you can afford?

Let’s talk in the comment section below.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.