New York
CNN
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Nathan Frederiksen is doing pretty well for himself.
He turns 40 this year and is on track to retire by 60. It takes some sacrifice — he drives the “unsexiest car ever,” takes a DIY approach to home repairs and doesn’t eat out much — but he’s able to save 10% of his income for retirement and maintain an emergency savings fund while supporting his wife and four children in the suburbs of Boise, Idaho.
“I understand that I’ve been lucky with some of my job prospects, but I don’t make a crazy amount of money,” he told CNN. “I have a solidly middle-class income.”
Frederiksen, who manages a small team of financial analysts, thinks his bank account is in good shape. But he doesn’t feel the same way about the larger economy.
“It’s definitely gotten tough for the last couple of years,” he said. “We’ve felt inflation in our budget and our expenses, but I’ve got some peace of mind knowing that if something comes up, we’re in a pretty good place, financially.”
He’s not alone. A recent Wall Street Journal poll of American voters in swing states found that while people think the national economy is in bad…
