Ryan Fletcher
Contributor
Ryan Fletcher works in private equity in Manhattan and grew up in a single-wide trailer in rural Mississippi with food stamps and eviction notices. The stark contrast between his childhood poverty and his children's current wealth terrifies him, so he's created what he calls 'controlled scarcity'—his kids (ages 9 and 11) pay rent on their bedrooms, WiFi access fees, and laundry charges. Every dollar goes into secret savings accounts they'll receive at 18, but they don't know that yet. Ryan's writing is intense, unapologetic, and often controversial. He believes most parenting advice is too soft and that children of wealth need artificial struggle to build character. His wife thinks he's unhinged. He might be. His content explores the psychology of entitlement, the value of manufactured adversity, and what happens when you raise kids with money after growing up with none.
Specialties
Articles by Ryan
I Charge My Kids Rent (And I'm Not Sorry)
My 11-year-old son pays me $20/month to sleep in his bedroom. My 9-year-old daughter pays $15/month for hers. They also pay for WiFi, meals, and laundry. Every dollar goes into a savings account they'll get when they turn 18. But they don't know that yet. And I'm not telling them.
December 10, 2024
I Keep a 'Poverty Museum' in My House (So My Kids Never Forget Where We Came From)
In my Manhattan apartment, there's a glass case in the hallway. Inside: a photo of the trailer I grew up in, expired food stamp cards from 2001, my mom's eviction notice, and the shoes I wore with holes in them for two years. My kids walk past it every day. Their friends ask about it. My wife thinks I'm obsessed. But I'm not taking it down.
October 15, 2024