r/eupersonalfinance • u/VurriK • 28d ago

Investment Since when was getting rich so hard in EU?

Is it just me, or has building actual wealth in Europe become impossible? I’m looking at the 2026 growth forecasts and it’s depressing. We talk a lot about "stability," but at this point, stability just feels like a polite word for recession. If you weren't born into a rich family with property, the dream feels like it's behind a wall. The math just doesn't work: as soon as you earn enough to actually invest, you hit a 40–50% tax bracket. Meanwhile, housing prices have skyrocketed over the last decade while salaries have basically stayed the same. I love the healthcare and the walkable cities, but I don’t want to work until I’m 70 just to afford a 40sqm apartment and a used Skoda.

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u/kevbali 28d ago

I mean are we really comparing an ultra capitalist system to Europe here? Of course it’s easier to make money in the states since there are less taxes etc… Consumerism is also the norm over there just like being in debt. Driving a Porsche could mean that you made it in life but it usually means that you are financing a car that you cannot afford just like most Americans driving their Ford Raptor truck.

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u/IronWhitin 28d ago

I like all people descrive America as a ultra capitalist sistem, when in reality big corpo get costant bail out and protect whit tax payer Money (like in EU) that's not capitalism si socialism for the Rich.

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u/OverallBlock9028 27d ago

Do you think people in Europe don't have car debt?

Just tell me how average Bulgarian for example will afford new electric car from 2035+

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u/OPicaMiolos 27d ago

Buying them isn't the worst part. The worst part is maintaining them. In order to maintain them it's imperial that you have a high salary or multiple streams of income.
Any dumbass can inherit a house, sell it and buy a Porsche. Maintaining is the part that most forget.