Each and every generation from the start of history has had something to grumble and groan about. And that’s likely never going to change. Even the renowned Greek philosopher Socrates was complaining about how young people had no manners or respect for their elders—and that was 2,400 years ago! Meanwhile, Roman statesman Cicero moaned about how children no longer obey their parents and “everyone is writing a book” just over 2,000 years ago.
Fast forward to today. Bored Panda has collected some of the best millennial complaints about technology, society, and the world from all over the internet to share with you. Scroll down to check the posts out. They’re amusing. They’re often accurate. And they might make you realize you’re getting older (hi)!
Bored Panda got in touch with personal finance expert Sam Dogen for his thoughts on how we can all embrace technological change instead of complaining about it, plus how much money we should all be saving for retirement. Dogen is the founder of Financial Samurai and the author of Millionaire Milestones: Easy Steps to Seven Figures, which comes out in May 2025. You'll find our full interview with him below.
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"Change is never easy, but resisting it only puts you further behind. Instead of complaining about technological shifts, millennials should focus on adapting and taking advantage of new opportunities," Dogen told Bored Panda in an email.
"One of the best ways to do this is by continuously learning and staying curious—whether it’s picking up new skills, leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity, or even exploring alternative income streams that didn’t exist a decade ago," the personal finance expert said.
"I wrote about AI’s impact on personal finance, where I discuss how embracing technology can help people optimize their money management and investments rather than fearing job displacement. The key is to use technology as a tool for financial empowerment rather than as a scapegoat for stagnation. The most adaptable people are the ones who stay proactive, experiment, and evolve with the times."
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Meanwhile, Dogen was kind enough to shed some light on how much everyone should be saving and investing for retirement.
"My general advice is to take full advantage of your tax-advantaged retirement accounts, such as your 401(k), IRA, and Roth IRA, by contributing every month. After maxing out your contributions, aim to save at least an additional 20% or more of your after-tax, after-retirement contribution income. If you stick to this plan for at least 10 years—ideally 20—you’ll be financially set for life," he said.
"For a more detailed roadmap, you can follow my net worth target guide based on age or work experience. For example, I recommend having a net worth of 2X your gross income by 30, 5X by 35, and 10X by 40. These are ideal benchmarks, but even if you fall short, my guide will help keep you on track," Dogen shared.
"Ultimately, reaching a net worth of 20X your annual gross income means financial freedom. Using income as a benchmark, rather than expenses, prevents the illusion of financial independence through extreme cost-cutting."
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Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are Americans who were born between 1981 and 1996.
After them came Generation Z (also colloquially known as Zoomers), who were born between 1997 and 2012. And after Gen Z came Generation Alpha, aka Gen A, kids who were born roughly between 2010 and 2025.
Meanwhile, the generations preceding millennials include Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), Baby Boomers (aka Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964), and the Silent Generation (born between 19280 and 1945).
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However, as the Pew Research Center notes, “generational cutoff points aren’t an exact science” and there’s no “agreed upon formula” for how long generational spans should be.
Thresholds between different generations, thus, are defined by meaningful shifts in political, economic, and social factors.
Investopedia explains that millennials were the first generation that was born into a digital world. Many consider members of Gen Y to be ‘digital natives’ for whom technology has always been a part of their everyday lives.
Though millennials are considered by many researchers to be people born between 1981 and 1996, some argue that Gen Y could refer to individuals born as early as 1980 and as late as 2004 as well.
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As per Investopedia, millennials in the United States tend to be progressive politically and less religiously observant than the generations that came before them.
Furthermore, Generation Y is the biggest generation in US history, faces record amounts of student loan debt, and wants to follow their ambitions, focus on their hobbies, and travel while young instead of putting things off.
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Though millennials are still quite young and energetic by all accounts (even if we don’t always feel like it!), it’s never too early to think about retirement. Investopedia warns that not enough members of Gen Y may be thinking about retiring, as just over a fifth of millennials don’t have a job that provides employer-sponsored retirement plans.
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70% of millennials think that they’ll be able to survive on $36k per year once they retire, even though in 2022 the average annual expenses for Americans aged 65 to 74 were $60.8k per year. Furthermore, inflation is likely to erode the purchasing power of the money you’ve already saved.
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Dias Wealth LLC founder and managing partner Carlos Dias Jr. noted that “based on an inflation rate of 3%, the value of $36,000 today will be reduced to $14,831.52 in 30 years.”
On the flip side, millennials investing in the stock market are likely to fare much better, as they can expect return rates of around 10% in the long run. It’s never too late to start planning for your retirement or investing. The best time to have started doing that would have been when you were young(er), sure, but the second best time is now.
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Different generations will complain about slightly different things because their cultural, social, and technological context isn’t the same. In other words, they have different issues at the forefront of their minds.
But broadly speaking, every generation tends to think that older generations are out of touch while younger generations are supposedly irresponsible, reckless, lack respect, and have poor(er) work ethics.
These sorts of generational divides and tensions are a tale as old as time. It’s a very human response to believe that the way that you live and what you value is how everyone else should live. We tend to approach life from the perspective of our own experiences, after all.
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Which of these millennial complaints do you agree with, dear Pandas? What are some other complaints that you’d add to the pile that weren’t mentioned in this list? Would you like to go back to the Good Old Days (whenever they were) or do you think we should all embrace the future no matter how it looks?
Let us know what you think in the comments! And if you want to share what generation you are, feel free to do so, too.
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