The traditional checklist for a successful adult life is becoming a fantasy.
The classic markers of a successful transition into adulthood—a steady career, a home of your own, a family—have been a core part of the American dream for generations. For Gen Z in 2025, however, this dream is colliding with a harsh economic reality. A perfect storm of high costs, stagnant wages, and crushing debt has made these once-attainable milestones feel like a distant and impossible fantasy.
They are playing a game that feels rigged, where the goalposts for a “normal” adult life have been moved far out of reach.
1. Moving out of their parents’ home is a major hurdle.
The first and most basic step of adulthood, leaving the nest, has become a massive financial challenge. The incredibly high cost of rent in most major cities, combined with the requirement to have the first month’s rent, the last month’s rent, and a security deposit upfront, is a barrier that can take years to overcome.
This is a major reason why the number of young adults living with their parents has risen so dramatically. They are not there out of a lack of ambition; they are there because they are financially trapped.
2. Buying a first home is a distant dream.
The cornerstone of the American dream, owning a home, now feels like a cruel joke to many in Gen Z. They are entering the housing market at a time of historically high prices and elevated interest rates, a perfect storm of unaffordability. Here in California, the idea of a young person buying a starter home is almost laughable.
They are being told to stop buying lattes while watching older generations sit on millions in home equity. The math simply doesn’t work, and this fundamental marker of adulthood has been pushed out of reach.
3. Owning a car is a luxury they often can’t afford.
For most of America, a car is not a luxury; it is an essential tool for getting to work. For Gen Z, however, the total cost of car ownership has become a crushing financial burden. The combination of high car prices, skyrocketing insurance rates, the cost of gas, and the expense of maintenance and repairs has made it an unaffordable proposition for many.
This forces them to rely on often-inadequate public transportation or to spend a huge portion of their income on ride-sharing services, limiting their freedom and their job opportunities.
4. Having a traditional wedding feels like a ridiculous expense.
The idea of a massive, 200-person wedding with a price tag of $50,000 is a complete non-starter for most of Gen Z. They are overwhelmingly rejecting the pressures of the traditional wedding industrial complex. They see it as a completely irrational use of money that could be better spent on a down payment for a house or on paying down their student loans.
They are instead opting for much more practical and affordable alternatives, like a simple courthouse ceremony followed by a party at a local restaurant, or eloping.
5. Starting a family is a financial impossibility for many.
For a generation already struggling to support themselves, the idea of having a child is becoming a financial impossibility. The cost of childbirth, childcare, and simply raising a human being to adulthood has skyrocketed to a level that is completely out of reach for many. They are making the rational economic decision to opt out of parenthood entirely.
The societal expectation that they should start a family is at odds with an economy that has not provided them with the financial stability to do so, a major source of stress and anxiety.
6. Saving for retirement seems like a pointless exercise.
When you are struggling to pay your rent this month, the idea of saving for a retirement that is 40 or 50 years away seems like a complete fantasy. Many in Gen Z are making the difficult but rational decision to prioritize their immediate financial needs over saving for a distant and uncertain future. Any extra money they have is more likely to go toward paying down high-interest debt.
The traditional marker of adulthood of “saving for a rainy day” is being replaced by the reality of “surviving the current storm.”
7. Even building a basic emergency fund is a struggle.
The classic financial advice is to have at least three to six months of living expenses saved in an emergency fund. For a huge portion of Gen Z, this is a completely unattainable goal. They are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and any extra money is immediately consumed by a new, unexpected expense. This leaves them in a state of constant financial precarity.
A single flat tire or a minor medical bill is not an inconvenience; it is a full-blown financial crisis that can send them into a spiral of debt, a stressful and exhausting way to live.
8. Achieving true financial independence from their parents is a struggle.
Even after graduating from college and getting a full-time job, many young adults are still unable to achieve true financial independence from their parents. Their salaries are so encumbered by their student loan and rent payments that they often still need help from their parents to cover unexpected expenses or are still on the family cell phone plan.
This prolonged financial dependence is frustrating for both the young adults, who crave independence, and for their parents, who are often delaying their own retirement to continue supporting their children long into their 20s and even 30s.
9. They can’t afford to live without roommates.
The simple dream of having your own, small apartment is a major marker of adulthood that is out of reach for a huge number of Gen Z. The high cost of rent in any desirable city means that living with multiple roommates is not a choice; it is a financial necessity, often well into their late 20s and beyond.
This lack of privacy and personal space can have a significant impact on their mental health and their ability to form adult relationships. It’s a state of perpetual, delayed adolescence that is a direct result of the housing crisis.
10. A simple vacation is a major luxury.
The ability to take a simple, one-week vacation is a marker of a stable, middle-class life that many in Gen Z cannot afford. With their budgets stretched to the absolute limit by their essential expenses, there is often nothing left over for discretionary spending like travel. The idea of saving up thousands of dollars for a trip can seem impossible.
This is not just about missing out on a fun experience; it is about missing out on the mental health benefits of taking a real break from the stresses of work and daily life.
11. Even owning a pet is a serious financial commitment.
For many young people, a pet is a source of joy and a first step toward building a family of their own. The cost of responsible pet ownership, however, has become a significant financial burden. The price of high-quality pet food, regular vet checkups, and the potential for a catastrophic emergency vet bill, which can be thousands of dollars, makes it a major commitment.
This is a cost that many young people on a tight budget simply cannot afford to take on, forcing them to forgo the companionship of a pet.
12. Having good health insurance is a constant worry.
For a generation that is a part of the gig economy and is job-hopping frequently, access to stable and affordable health insurance is a major source of anxiety. They are often in a precarious position of being on a parent’s plan, on a high-deductible marketplace plan, or being uninsured altogether. The fear of a medical emergency leading to financial ruin is a constant background stress.
The marker of adulthood of having a stable job with good benefits is a reality that many in Gen Z have not been able to achieve.
13. A stable, full-time job with benefits.
This is perhaps the most fundamental marker of all. The idea of a stable, 9-to-5 job with health insurance, a retirement plan, and paid time off is the foundation of a middle-class adult life. The modern economy, however, is increasingly based on contract, freelance, and gig work, which offers none of this security.
Many in Gen Z are patching together a living from multiple, unstable sources of income. The simple stability that their parents took for granted is the marker of adulthood that is the most difficult for them to reach.