The cost of achieving the American Dream in 2025 has soared past $5 million, according to a comprehensive analysis by Investopedia, marking a staggering milestone in the financial realities facing U.S. households today. This figure represents the cumulative lifetime expenses of eight pillars of middle-class aspiration, and stands nearly $600,000 higher than last year's estimate, and almost 50% more than just two years ago.
Savanah McCarty was not riding across the wide-open prairie when a horse accident nearly killed her. She was in the driveway of her leased farm outside Bozeman, Montana, waiting for a student's mother to arrive, when her horse seized and flipped over backwards, landing on top of her. The horse, it turned out, had a neurological disorder linked to possum urine. McCarty never imagined it could cause this.
When Juli comes home after work, her husband doesn't regale her with stories about his photography business the way he once did. Instead he proudly shows her a pill container emptied of the 20 supplements and medications he takes every day. Rather than griping about traffic, he tells her about his walk. When they go out to a favorite Mexican restaurant, he might opt for a side salad instead of tortilla chips with his quesadilla. "He's actually consuming green food, which is new," says Juli, who asked to be identified by only her first name to protect her husband's privacy.
As the UC system asks its supporters to stand up against the federal government's demand for $1 billion from UCLA, it throws 160 of its own under the bus. In a cynical act of self-service, UC's leadership has given the names of those who practiced free speech, endangering their lives and livelihoods. As a Berkeley alum, I am appalled by this decision.
You can schedule appointments within hours sometimes minutes of realizing you need care and see a doctor from your couch, in your pajamas. Do you have a medical question you'd like an honest answer on? Write us at thrive@npr.org, and we'll consider your question for the column. But there can also be some serious drawbacks. For one, you might get hit with unexpected costs. And for medical conditions that aren't straightforward, there can be real benefits from building a relationship with a doctor IRL.
Retirement remains a far-off - and in some cases, unattainable - goal for many Americans. About one in four adults over age 50 said they expect to never retire, according to an AARP survey. That's perhaps not surprising given that Americans believe they'll need $1.26 million to retire comfortably, per Northwestern Mutual. Related: Are You on Track for Your Age? Here's When You Should Save for Retirement, Make 6 Figures and Buy a Home, According to a New Survey.
Insurance designed for older individuals differs from the types typically associated with earlier phases of life. These policies tend to emphasize peace of mind over wealth accumulation.
Across our data, we have seen how small businesses manage with limited resources, suggesting that they often have to make difficult tradeoffs. Increasing health care costs can have that effect - we saw that the firms with the largest health insurance burden increases were the most likely to drop coverage.