With each passing day, the economy is plunging the middle class and poorer sections of society into a financial crisis from which it is hard to emerge. Married couples are struggling to pay their bills despite having two sources of income, and single parents are even worse off. One single mother – who goes by @my_untold_secret on TikTok – has turned to the community to share her worries about having no retirement plans at 41.
“I’m 41 years old and have no savings for retirement,” she explained at the beginning of her video. “I’ve been a penniless single mother for the last 10 or 12 years, living on food stamps at times.” Every time she made financial progress, the unfortunate mother has had to face some setbacks. She currently has $14,000 in credit card debt and $83,000 in student loans. The mother doesn’t even have a master’s degree, despite attending the University of Phoenix, where she was defrauded.
“I’m hoping to get my loan forgiven from the University of Phoenix, but that’s pending,” she continues. “I still owe $27,000 in loans because I ended up going to a brick-and-mortar school, so I don’t know when I’ll ever retire. I plan on dying in my office.” To give a little backstory on how she got into this situation, the mom made another video, detailing her transition from a traditional “traditional” wife to a single mother. “I was 19 when I got pregnant. When our daughter was a week old, we just eloped in court,” she explained. “My job was to be a wife and mother. I wasn’t supposed to have time or thoughts for anything else.”
She did not regret having children so early, but regretted choosing the wrong husband. As a young mother, she had low self-esteem and had no other job than running the household and taking care of the children. Her husband not only humiliated her, but also never missed an opportunity to mock and ridicule her for the smallest things. The mother admitted that even when she left her abusive husband and embarked on a new path, she had no voice. With the financial security of her husband gone, the single mother knew she would have to face the consequences.
Single moms and those in deep debt and living on food stamps took to the comments section to show their sympathy for this mom and even shared their own stories. @gh005tie wrote, “I’m 41, have a bachelor’s degree and 20 years of work experience with two different careers and zero pension. Welcome to the club.” @tegucci1995 advised, “Open a Roth IRA. I started last year and set it up to invest aggressively. It’s never too late. Now I have something to show for it and it’s only been a year. I’m in my 40s.” @jennyjofrench quipped, “I’m 62, raised three boys on my own, we’ve always lived paycheck to paycheck so I have no savings, no pension, nothing.”
@islandgirlinmanhattan noted, “Wisper words were never spoken. I realized soon after the wedding, which is unfortunate, that I chose the wrong father. And I was determined not to have children with him. We are now getting a divorce.” @wwwjbd43 worried, “The saddest part is that you still have to protect the kids from him. I feel like he is taking advantage of your dislike for him through your words against your children.” @love11..11 added, “Ladies, never stay home. It’s a huge setback and if you do, get back to work ASAP.”
You can follow @my_secrets_untold on TikTok for more videos on life, work, and single motherhood.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 24, 2024. It has since been updated.
