Cashed Up: Baby Boomer money tactics that no longer work

It’s 2025 and the financial playbook that helped Boomers get ahead is broken. Here is how young Aussies can actually kickstart their journey to financial freedom. For decades, the playbook was simple: buy a home, pay it off, put cash into super, and maybe buy an investment property. That worked for a generation, but for younger Aussies it’s like turning up to the Tour de France with a BMX bike. The rules have changed, yet most people are still playing the old game. We cover what’s broken and what actually works instead. Boomers rode a once‑in‑a‑century wave of economic tailwinds—affordable housing, strong real wage growth, generous tax savings, and a compulsory super system that matured at just the right time. A home in Sydney’s Inner West might have cost $100,000 in the ‘90s; today it’s closer to $2 million, but incomes haven’t increased 20× to match. Add stagnant wage growth, rising living costs, and eye‑watering childcare fees, and it’s no wonder younger generations feel they must push harder just to keep up. There’s a limit to how much you can save, but no cap on what you can earn. Upskilling, changing jobs or industries, negotiating a pay rise, or launching a side hustle can fast‑track your money momentum more than giving up your daily coffee ever will. The principles behind the Boomer game plan—spend less than you earn, invest, and use time to your advantage—still hold up today, but the way you use those principles has to change. You don’t need to own a home at 30 to be financially secure, you don’t need to know how to pick stocks, and you definitely don’t need to follow a blueprint written for a different economy. Waiting for things to “get easier” or “go back to normal” is like hoping VideoEzy will make a comeback—it’s just not going to happen. The good news is that there’s a better path forward, one that’s more flexible, more dynamic, and actually built for how young Aussies live and work today. You just need the confidence to stop following your parents and start crafting your own playbook.