Buying a home is no easy feat, but it’s grown substantially harder for younger generations of Americans. According to recent Census data, the homeownership rate for millennials stands at 48.6% — over 20 percentage points below Gen X and nearly 30 below baby boomers. Even among 40-year-old millennials, the homeownership rate (60%) lags behind older generations at that same age. Apartment List reports that 64% percent of Xers, 68% of boomers and 73% of the Silent Generation owned homes at 40.

When COVID-19 hit the U.S., I was one of many 20-somethings who moved back home. Little did I know I’d stay there for nearly two years as the country grappled with wave after wave of COVID surges, and I grappled with pandemic depression. (Not to be confused with pandemic fatigue. COVID-19 depression and anxiety has its own page on Johns Hopkins.)

Everyone knows how it feels to miss the boat on a good investment. Take Big Tech as an example. If you would have thrown some money into Microsoft, Apple or Google when they were just fledgling companies on the market, instead of missing the boat you’d be sitting on a boatload of money.

Fewer than 1% of U.S. adults currently serve in the military. Fewer than 10% are veterans. These dwindling percentages are representative of the modern era: One in which citizens aren’t being drafted to war, and can instead choose a career path befitting them. However, not everyone has equal access to a career path, or even a job in general. According to EducationData.org, th

If you know anything about budgeting, you’ve likely heard of or even used the 50/30/20 method. This method dictates that 50% of your post-tax income goes toward “needs,” 30% goes to “wants” and 20% goes to savings. It sounds pretty good on the surface, and it is a simple, straightforward way to structure your budget. But it’s not a budget that works for the majority of Americans in 2022.

Many millennials consider the 2008 recession their introduction to economics. Even the so-called ‘geriatric millennials’ were only in their mid-20s when the Great Recession struck, while the youngest were about to become teenagers. It was an event that shaped their definition of money, as well as their careers as students and professionals — probably for their entire lives. It’s no wonder they’re one of the most pessimistic generations when it comes to their finances.

Learning how to manage money is a lifelong commitment. As you grow and change in your career and lifestyle, so does the way you approach finances. The general idea, though, is that you’ll get better with money over time — and hopefully have more of it, too.

No matter how much financial planning you do, you'll probably never have as much money as Oprah. But her rags-to-riches story -- along with many others -- didn't spring from sheer luck. It came from talent, hard work and the wherewithal to turn one success into many.

When people think of millennial havens, the first places that come to mind are probably big tech cities like Seattle or influencer meccas like Los Angeles. Sure, those cities have vibrant young populations, but they may not be the best when it comes to overall quality of life for the millennial generation. See: Baby Boomers, Gen X or Millennials — Who Really Had It Worst? Find Out: 20 Jobs Where Millennials Can Make Six Figures To find the best places for millennials in the U.S., GOBankingRat