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Do You Have a Timeline For Your Life?

by Kat » on Apr 23, 2019 0

Many people have an idea of a life “timeline” that they hope they will accomplish certain life events by. “I want to be married by the time I’m ‘x’ years old.” Or “I want to have my first baby by ‘y’ years old.”

In a study performed by Life Storage, they explored at what age on average people reached popular milestones and if it lined up with what those people had anticipated. For example, they found that while 73% of people expected to be married between the ages of 19 and 30, only 44% actually did marry during this time frame.

Wanting to have a baby? On average, most people had their first child between the ages of 19 and 25. In fact, of the major life events the study looked at, most occurred during this age range. Most men had received their first full-time job (women had done this, on average, by 18). In general, this is the age most people had bought their first car, moved out of their guardian’s home, moved in with their significant other, gotten engaged, gotten married, had their first child and (for women) bought their first house. It makes sense though, this is such a pivotal time in anyone’s life. You finish your secondary schooling and either go off to college or begin working. For most, it is the first time they are not under the scrutiny of their parents and have more freedom to do what they like.

It was interesting to look at the differences between different generations. It may come as no surprise that out of the three generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millennials), Millennials had the highest percentage of college graduates, with most (61%) attending college by 18. In addition, 30% of Baby Boomers had purchased their first home between the ages of 19 and 25, compared to only 10% of Millennials. Also, 68% of Baby Boomers had retired by 65, while only 49% of Millennials expect to do the same.

It’s always interesting to look at how other people’s lives compare to yours. While you could have accomplished some events earlier than the average, there are surely also some life events you have yet to experience.

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