Boomer parents being judgemental about gig economy income

[Cupofteaandnewspaper]

This is something I’ve noticed with myself but also a close friend. Our parents don’t understand our gig economy incomes and are very against it all, and only encourage us to have one job that’s a salaried thing they understand (e.g. run of the mill admin for a large company they’ve heard of).

I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platforms, all I get is negativity when I discuss this! I’m doing the safe thing of having a salary and building up on the side, I really see a lot of potential in what I’m doing and I wish my parents could see that it’s paying for various things. All I want is positive encouragement rather than being told it’s a bad idea!

@VladmirsPoutine

"A very tiring way of saying she might be a freelance copy writer during the day for different companies and in the evenings she drives for Uber and on weekends sometimes takes people's dogs to the park for a fee"

Thanks that makes more sense!

I have to wonder why didn't she just bloody say that!

Wanders off muttering about the youth of today under breath.

I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platforms

What now?

You lost me at "boomers". Grow up.

[quote Ponoka7]@Lesperance, the boomer year's end in 1964, so you could be a boomer and have children in their 20's.

My youngest DD was in a job that she'd had enough in. My eldest DD, who is mid 30's couldn't get her head around that my youngest could earn more on agency etc. She's now in a job she likes, which I think was helped get through the variation on her CV. Great when you are in your 20's and depending on what you do, you can still get a mortgage, because the lenders know what industries always need workers. It might not be as practical in more expensive areas, or as you get older and of course not everyone wants a mortgage.[/quote]
You could. Some think it ends in 1960 though. I guess I'm not massively into stereotypes and boomer is used generally in a derogatory way. I say this as a person who is part of generation X by every definition I've ever found.

Trickle portfolio through multiple platforms?
Pyramid selling?

Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964.

I know plenty of 58 year olds with kids in their late teens and early 20s. Equally, OP could have been born to a pair of 19 year olds (born in 1946) in 1965 and be 57 themself.

"Boomer" is almost meaningless but it is snide.

Gig economy is fine OP.

@Houseplantmad

You lost me at "boomers". Grow up.

I think this sums up what I meant to say. It's never used in a positive way, is it?

@TheHumanSatsuma

Trickle portfolio through multiple platforms? Pyramid selling?

Or MLM as it’s now known!

@Cupofteaandnewspaper

This is something I’ve noticed with myself but also a close friend. Our parents don’t understand our gig economy incomes and are very against it all, and only encourage us to have one job that’s a salaried thing they understand (e.g. run of the mill admin for a large company they’ve heard of).

I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platforms, all I get is negativity when I discuss this! I’m doing the safe thing of having a salary and building up on the side, I really see a lot of potential in what I’m doing and I wish my parents could see that it’s paying for various things. All I want is positive encouragement rather than being told it’s a bad idea!

Maybe if you lose the corporate speak and spoke to them in words that actually mean something they might be a bit more encouraging. If I was one of your parents I would roll my eyes right out of my head at having to listen to that drivel.

I've just realised I actually do have a 'trickle portfolio' 🙂

I sell sewing patterns, via download. It's actually called a trickle income by those who do the same. Once the pattern has been designed and popped into the shop it can be ignored... and the income trickles in with no further input from me.

Better yet, I sell across multiple platforms. Yay! I made Word Salad Extraordinare🤣

Gig economy is fine OP.
Until she wants to get a mortgage, car finance or rent a property

I’m not going to describe exactly what I do as I’d like to remain anonymous but Merry Seo is similar to me, I totally identify with what she’s saying in this article www.google.co.uk/amp/s/m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.amp.asp%3fnewsIdx=313796

I'm called a "Boomer" but I was born in 1970 so that's Gen X and we are usually forgotten. But we are the best generation 😉

Anyways, I understand what you mean, OP, because I also have a part-time job for my family's needs but I also own a small business that is paying for my investments in real estate, stocks and another business. My husband owns a small business that covers our family outgoing but has started another small business to create another income stream.

My mother was the person who believed the "company" would take care of her. She was born in 1935 and her parents were migrant farm workers so I understand where her thought process originated. My father was an immigrant with limited skills and very little English-speaking skills so he created businesses to support us.

My sister was born in 1962, an actual Boomer, and she's a big believer in having a steady job with benefits. Her company has downsized staff and will be relocating to China. There used to be 450 workers and now there's less than 50. However, she's recently given up her job due to burnout from doing the work of many of the eliminated staff. She's paralyzed in what her next move is and she's looking for another job.

I've had to come up with various income streams because in my 26 years of marriage, my husband, the main income earner, has lost his IT job four different times and CV-19 nearly devastated us financially. It's clear that we cannot depend on a job, 100% anymore.

Good luck @Cupofteaandnewspaper
Keep doing what you're doing and don't listen to anyone else, just take care of you.

Gen X rules! 😆

[quote Cupofteaandnewspaper]I’m not going to describe exactly what I do as I’d like to remain anonymous but Merry Seo is similar to me, I totally identify with what she’s saying in this article www.google.co.uk/amp/s/m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.amp.asp%3fnewsIdx=313796[/quote]
What does she say in that article?

(Not clicking your trickle income link )

"I’m very into diversifying my income and developing a trickle portfolio through multiple platform" 🤦🏻‍♀️

Do you have a pension?

Have you had financial help from your parents?

Have you been watching too much TikTok ?

Why can't OP be 40+?

Because of the writing style. It makes it very unlikely.

OP - language is all about communication. If your message is unintelligible to most readers, then the meaning is lost and it is just words.

Also, it’s rather ignorant to label a group of people for the purpose of disparaging them, as you do with “boomer parents”.

Oh god! YouTube influencers and other lifestyle intangible nonsense.

At least I sell crap you can actually touch and use.

@TammyOne

Boomer parents? My parents were "Boomers" and they would be 70+ My kids are Boomers (2000's babies) I expect your parents are Generation X, in which case I would be surprised if they didn't have a few random jobs that cobbled together an income, I know I did in my 20s. Is a "trickle portfolio thru multiple platforms" kid speak for "making a bit of money selling clothes on Vinted and doing online surveys"?

yup. I am a tail end boomer and way past parental age....and yes if you talk like that I expect they will be rolling their eyes A LOT....but eyerolling and disapproval mean that your parentals are doing a good job!

"Freelancer Merry Seo, whose real name is Seo Eu-ra, is one of these N-jobbers. She is identified professionally with six different jobs: she is the author of several books, a self-publisher, a translator, an illustrator, a lecturer and a content creator with her own YouTube channel, which has 76,000 subscribers."

@EvilPea sorry, I should have clarified - a "trickle income" from the gig economy absolutely is fine - especially in OP's case where it's alongside a salaried role for things like rent, credit scores etc. Even if it can't count towards to income multipliers for a mortgage, savings from it can go towards the deposit.

The boomer generation is everyone born between 1946 (the actual post war baby boom) to ~1965. The youngest boomers will have children in their 20s. Gen X is ~1965 to 1982. Millenials are those who came of age in the millenium so 1982 to 2000.

OP, your parents want you to have a secure job with a good pension, sick pay, maternity pay, redundancy pay, life insurance. If you were hit by a bus tomorrow what would happen to your income streams? I have a relative who was self employed and made himself a ltd company. He boasted about how little tax he paid and how much he loved the flexibility of the gig economy. When the pandemic hit the work dried and so did the money, he didn't qualify for any of the government support. Not brilliant when you have a family to support.

The late Boomers were rechristened Gen Jones. Boomers were hippies. Gen Jones were punk and the MTV generation.

I’m a boomer born in 1964 and have adult children probably around the same age as the op.I’m guessing around middle 20’s going on the language used and the fact they think they have reinvent the wheel. Back in the day the gig economy was just having several part time jobs. Not exactly a new concept unless these part time jobs are mlms or getting your kit off on only fans. The 1980’s equilvant would be doing avon, par time work on a till and evenings bar work.

So it actually is just NewSpeak for "I have a few jobs on the go."

The kind of thing your Boomer mum might have done to earn 'pin money' around kids, husband's work and family need.

Or single parent families do to scrape together enough money to pay the bills and still be there for the kids.

You just mean I have a few jobs.

Well, go you! I think you'll find every generation before you did much the same when needed or by choice.

As I said, I do this, have done this for decades. Even when I was lecturing I had a creative outlet and the charity job.

Nothing new under the stars, as they say 🙃

It's absolutely the way you are putting it. You are looking to feel superior. The reality is what I do for a living is set up in the same way (I specialise in an area of work I spent 20 years building a reputation in). In truth most people who use your wording are laughed at by several generations. They don't approve possibly because you are presenting it as the emperors new clothes , alternatively they may just not approve but why do you care?

I can't say most people in my situation and yours seek approval if they are successful. I don't share with my parents how what I do works.

With the best will in the qorld if you feel the need to witter on about diversifying your income you are seeking validation and awe. Whilst simultaneously undermining the integrity of working that way by presenting it as unreliable. You can't really be surprised to get the odd eyebrow raised if you communicate it like that.