Younger millennial, single, small one bedroom apartment that isn’t fancy, 2 cats, no kids. I didn’t get to go to college after high school, my parents weren’t about to help me, either financially or practically, and I just couldn’t figure out the paperwork/admin nor could I have afforded it myself or gotten loans without a cosigner. I eventually got an ok paying job that required a certification. I work anywhere from 40-70 hours a week and I can still barely afford to pay my bills. I’ve gone over a month without buying food and lived off whatever free food I can grab at work. I’m slowly working my way through a college degree that I’m unenthusiastic about, but I got denied financial aid because I have to make enough to live and cover my rent like an adult and FASFA looks at my annual income and thinks that since I don’t own a house or have kids I have no living expenses and that I can easily afford 30k in tuition every year, so I’ve gotten zero grants or scholarships and at this point I’m only trying to finish my degree so I have something to show besides my stupid loans. I’ve been putting away a portion of my income in a matched 401k for the past 10 years but lot of good that did me, it’s lost far more money than it’s ever gained, and it’s expected to give me a mind blowing $15 a month when I retire if I continue at the current rate. My retirement plan is suicide, but more and more I don’t see why I’d wait for retirement age. I have no time or money for hobbies and there’s nothing in my life that brings me joy besides my cats. I think once they’re gone I’ll go with them.
How did it lose more than it gained? The loss in interest in investment plus the yearly management fee from the company my employer chose to manage the stupid thing is more than the gains during the good years? I’m no investment expert, all I know is that anytime it gains money it then loses all that shortly after. I’d be better off putting the money in a savings account except at least this way I get employer match. And sure I have ADHD, but it’s not like I’m disabled and unable to work, I’m still working and going to school. You want to tell me that I shouldn’t be able to support myself working over 40 hours a week (and I am not working a minimum wage or “low skilled” job)