💥 The Truth: $100K in 1990 = nearly $250K+ today

$100k income adjusted for inflation from 1990 to 2025. Image from https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1990?amount=100000 and data accurate as of July 27th 2025.

Buying power of $100k from 1990-2025. Image from https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1990?amount=100000 and data accurate as of July 27th 2025.

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In 1990, a $100k income was considered doing really well in the U.S. The median household U.S. income in 1990 was $63,830, as highlighted by Abigail Tierney in 2024 (Statista, 2024). In the last few years, 60% of millennials earning $100k and above are living paycheck to paycheck (Hoffower, 2021). As shown in the figure above, $100k in 1990 adjusted for inflation is approximately $245,956 today in 2025, and you would need more based on the city you live in the U.S. (In2013dollars, 2025). Data accurate as of July 27th 2025.

That’s not just inflation—it’s fiat decay in real time and our lifetimes. Let's look at the $100k income at different times from 1990. As can be seen, if you were earning $100k in 2015, today's equivalent would be about $135k. I.e., over the last decade, you would need a 35% total increase in wages to keep up with inflation experienced in the U.S. That is a sobering thought. Calculations taken from In2013dollars, as of 27th Jul. 2025.

Year	$100,000 Then = Today’s Equivalent
1990	$245k +
2000	$186k+
2015	$135k+

A $100K income 30 years ago gave you comfort, margin, and savings.

A $100K income in the U.S. today? Stress, survival, and side hustles.

So when people say “$1M is enough,” what they’re often saying is “I hope the rules don’t change again.” But they already have.

The same $100k income in different U.S. cities will feel different and go further. "A $100,000 salary may sound like a comfortable income but how far it goes varies largely depending on where you live", as highlighted by Jaclyn DeJohn (DeJohn, 2025). The study found that in 2025, the "value of $100,000 after accounting for taxes and local cost of living premiums" in Manhattan, NY was just $30,362. Wow. It's clear there's very little left over.

🚨 THE COLLAPSE OF FIAT & THE DEATH OF “JUST WORK HARD”

Most people are still taught:

• Work hard, for 40 - 45 years

• Save and potentially retire at 65+ if you have accumulated enough

  
  

But that model was built on:

• Low healthcare costs

• Single incomes were sufficient

• Strong dollar

• Social Security reliability

• Stable real estate/rent ratios

  
  

All of that has shifted. Unfortunately, the purchasing power for those living and working in the U.S. is deteriorating through:

• Asset bubbles

• Inflationary pressure

• Wage/purchasing power disconnection

  
  

🧠 What can you do now? Shift to a growth mindset (LSH STYLE)

This data isn't meant to be 'doom and gloom'. It's to highlight that changes are needed, and that jumps in income, e.g., job, side hustle, income-producing assets are important to get to financial freedom. You can't just rely on the job or the government. To survive and thrive now, the growth mindset isn’t a cute idea—it’s a survival skill.

✅ 1. Accept That the Old Playbook is Broken

• Retire-at-65 thinking may need to change to about 70 and 75.

• “Enough” needs a radical recalculation.

• Instead of stability, aim for adaptability.

• Earning quite a lot more will be needed to just beat inflation.

  
  

🔁 “If you cling to the plan built for yesterday’s world, you will retire poor in today’s.”

✅ 2. Adopt the New Growth Mindset Pillars (The LSH Upgrade)

Old Belief	LSH Growth Belief
Save for retirement	Invest to create assets and cash flow
Pay off all debt first	Leverage debt selectively to grow assets
Work hard = success	Work smart + automate = scalable impact
Stability is safety	Optionality is freedom

✅ 3. Act Now—Stack Small but Powerful Habits

• Daily: Track cash flow, automate investments, reject lifestyle creep.

• Weekly: Learn 1 new financial or wealth habit, e.g., from LSH or curated leaders.

• Monthly: Add/optimize 1 income stream (tiny at first, then scale).

• Quarterly: Reassess your “enough” number based on real costs.

  
  

🎯 THE REAL GOAL?

Not just escaping poverty or getting to a good income. But escaping old narratives. Escaping stagnant systems. Escaping the trap of waiting 30-40 years to feel free.

If you're a millennial earning over $100,000 and living paycheck-to-paycheck, LSH can help you. Change your finance habits to change your trajectory.

To your success.