Is the American Dream DEAD?

Americans are buckling under the burden of $1.56 trillion in outstanding student debt.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Profit Trends]( [Market Trends](  Is the American Dream Dead? Matthew Carr | Chief Trends Strategist | The Oxford Club  ["The Lifeblood of the New Economy" Is in Her Hand...]( [Woman Looking at Phone](The technology in this device is on track to create 3 million new jobs... Contribute $275 billion in new investments... Add $500 billion to the economy... And mint more millionaires than any invention in history. [Here's how you can become one of them]( (starting with just $5!).  Editor's Note: Matthew Carr's expertise is in high demand. That's why this week he'll join Rich Checkan (from The Oxford Club's Pillar One Advisor Asset Strategies International) and Chris Blasi during their exclusive, live webinar series, On the Move. Each episode identifies trends and market movers that every investor should take into consideration. [To join them on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET - with our very own Matthew Carr - click here!]( - Rebecca Barshop, Managing Editor   [Matthew Carr] I remember the day my wife and I bought our first house. We were giddy. Drunk on young love and possibilities. We held in our hands a check for more than $250,000 and took photos of ourselves posing with it. At the time, it was the largest sum of money we'd ever physically held. And we were painfully about to hand it over to someone else. But in those glory days before the devastating financial crisis, we were purchasing our piece of the American Dream. For many young Americans today - regardless of their upbringing - the joys, headaches and trials of homeownership are out of reach... at least for now. And that's due to an eye-opening trend...  [You Won't Believe Who We Found Inside This Dilapidated Warehouse](  [Abandoned Warehouse](  Two men were just found inside this abandoned-looking Long Island building. One is the most famous TV personality of all time. The other is a money legend. [More details here.](  It Ain't Cheap The statistics are nothing short of staggering. Younger Americans are in worse financial straits than the generations that preceded them.  [Net Worth U.S. Citizens Under 35 Down]  The average net worth of 18- to 35-year-olds is a mere $8,000. $8,000! They're feeling the pinch of rising costs, stagnating incomes and suffocating debt. But it's that last one that I want to home in on... There's an entire generation that's buried under student debt. Over the past decade, education expenses have skyrocketed 65%. And over the last 35 years, the average cost of tuition has quadrupled! The result: Americans are buckling under the burden of $1.56 trillion in outstanding student debt...  [Chart - Outstanding Student Debt]  This has had wide-ranging effects. And it's adding to the pressure for those trying to grab their piece of the American Dream... because it ain't cheap. First-time home buyers are paying 39% more than those four decades ago. And homeownership among Americans under the age of 35 has toppled, falling to record lows. Those sky-high student loan payments are preventing them from cobbling together a down payment. Unprecedented debt is the main reason millennials are hitting traditional milestones later in life than their parents or grandparents. They're living at home longer, waiting to get married, delaying starting a family and, ultimately, putting off buying a home. But there's something else bothering me about this situation... A Higher Ed Headache Here's what really makes my head spin... Academic skills rank the lowest among attributes employers consider when hiring recent college grads! What school you went to, what your GPA was and what your major was all ranked lower than internships and where you worked while in college, as well as any volunteer work or extracurricular activities you did. Work experience - no matter if it was part-time - is more highly valued than anything else. So younger generations are racking up all this debt at elite schools... for what? For absolutely nothing! There was a deliberate push toward higher education in this country. I even attended a presentation once where the speaker raged - red-faced and sweating - that if parents weren't pushing their children toward law, medicine or finance, they should essentially disown them. College enrollment is at record levels. And that's fine. Today, approximately 35% of Americans have a bachelor's degree. That's up from 5% in 1940. And in 2011, for the first time ever, more than 30% of Americans aged 25 or older had a bachelor's degree. That was up from 25% in 1998. But I personally don't think college is a necessity for everyone. It means more debt, more competitiveness and more frustration pursuing something the corporate world values less and less. We now as a society have to ask an extremely difficult question: Is college worth it? When I walk into a coffee shop, I'm not being waited on by a high school or college student like I used to be. Now the servers are in their late 20s and 30s. And that worries me. A lot has changed in this country since my wife and I bought our first home. Millennials are facing tougher financial pressures than previous generations. And they're desperately trying to get far enough out of debt's clutches to move out of their parents' basements. So the American Dream isn't dead... at least not yet. It's just deferred until further notice. Good investing, Matthew   [Leave a Comment](  [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Share](mailto:?subject=A%20great%20piece%20from%20Profit%20Trends...&body=From%20Profit%20Trends:%0D%0A%0D%0AAmericans%20are%20buckling%20under%20the%20burden%20of%20$1.56%20trillion%20in%20outstanding%20student%20debt.%0D%0A%0D ?src=shared) [Wireless Technology Concept]( [Invest in 5G Technology]( Matthew Carr | October 31, 2019 For any investor intrigued by the possibilities of 5G, this video is a great introduction. [Read More](  [Grades on Speedometer]( [Energy Efficiency: America's Hidden Power Source]( David Fessler | October 30, 2019 We use a lot of energy in the United States. Unfortunately, we waste far more. How can we fix this? [Read More](  [Hand Moving Chess Piece]( [3 Stock Investing Rules to Swear By]( Matthew Carr | October 29, 2019 Finding the "next big thing" is only one piece of the puzzle. The trickiest part is uncovering which companies in those disruptive sectors are going to produce the biggest gains. [Read More](  [Need Extra Income?]( Here's a way to claim up to $10,670 in crypto income... Even if you don't own bitcoin. I think you'll like it. Click below... [Bitcoin]( [Learn how to claim up to $10,670 in crypto income.](   You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Profit Trends. To unsubscribe from Profit Trends, [click here]( ). Questions? Check out our [FAQs](. Trying to reach us? [Contact us here.]( Please do not reply to this email as it goes to an unmonitored inbox. To cancel by mail or for any other subscription issues, write us at: Profit Trends | Attn: Member Services | 105 West Monument Street | Baltimore, MD 21201 North America: [1.800.589.3430]( | International: [+1.443.353.4334]( | Fax: [1.410.329.1923]( Website: [profittrends.com]( Keep the emails you value from falling into your spam folder. [Whitelist Profit Trends](. © 2019 The Oxford Club LLC All Rights Reserved  [Oxford Club] The Oxford Club is a financial publisher that does not offer any personal financial advice or advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment for any specific individual. Members should be aware that although our track record is highly rated by an independent analysis and has been legally reviewed, investment markets have inherent risks and there can be no guarantee of future profits. The stated returns may also include option trades. We expressly forbid our writers from having a financial interest in their own securities recommendations to readers. All of our employees and agents must wait 24 hours after online publication or 72 hours after the mailing of printed-only publications prior to following an initial recommendation. Any investments recommended by The Oxford Club should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Protected by copyright laws of the United States and international treaties. The information found on this website may only be used pursuant to the membership or subscription agreement and any reproduction, copying, or redistribution (electronic or otherwise, including on the world wide web), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of The Oxford Club, 105 W. Monument Street, Baltimore MD 21201. Â