Blue-Collar Aristocracy

This week's blogpost - https://bahnsen.co/45DhMjH

Host Blaine Carver and author Brett Bonecutter discuss Brett’s article “Blue Collar Aristocracy,” challenging the “college for everyone” assumption in education planning and default 529 saving. Drawing from Brett’s experience raising eight boys and shifts advisors see in client questions, they focus on the economics of college: high costs, average student debt over $40,000, negative ROI for the first decade after graduation, and a 52% underemployment rate that can lead to wage penalties and “scarring.” They distinguish unskilled factory work from skilled trades requiring training and licensing, argue that many degrees function as white-collar trade school, and highlight a paradoxical surge in demand for electricians and other trades driven by energy needs and data center growth amid an aging workforce and millions of projected unfilled trade jobs. They encourage parents and grandparents to match pathways to each child and consider apprenticeships and junior college.

00:00 Welcome and Guests

00:16 Why This Article

02:27 College Planning Shift

04:26 Mike Rowe and Rust Belt

07:48 Blue Collar Stigma

11:33 Skilled Trades Defined

14:01 Launching Into Adulthood

16:13 Debt and Fit

18:05 Saving Beyond 529s

21:06 Underemployment and ROI

25:24 College Value and Liberal Arts

31:49 Apprenticeship and Demand

35:15 Trade Labor Shortage

37:13 Blue Collar Success Stories

40:17 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Links mentioned in this episode:

• http://thoughtsonmoney.com
• http://thebahnsengroup.com