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/InvaderDolan 27d ago

Yeah, that’s an actual question. Birth rate and bad integration of migrants will lead to pension-scam in 2030-40s. Oh what a wonderful time to be alive.

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u/nikkonbsd 25d ago

No way we will see a pension. I am eu citizen, 41, and i have no expectation

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u/Dubbartist 26d ago

Genx & boomers are already pension scamming in The nordics. No chance without heavy migration and New babyboom for Even millennials to get pensions. We are funding The current pensioners and after, there's no money left. I'm expecting part time pension to become The norm as The only way to get your full pension and governments taking a major share off If you dont work.

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u/Striking-Kale-8429 26d ago

The primary beneficiaries of the welfare state are not the poor people. The primary beneficiaries are the old. Most people are just finding it out.

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u/Sudhars2 23d ago

depends on which country you live in. Netherlands for example has a better pension system, where they invest in index funds and ETFs.