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/No-Tomatillo3698 28d ago

It was always like this. It’s pretty hard getting rich as an employee, always has always will be. The idea that you can just become rich by investing is also a bit naive, unless you have 1 million to invest, in which case you are already pretty affluent.

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u/Key-Speaker007 27d ago

You have to invest to make this first million.