My wife has a leased mini-van
Sounds like you're doing well, and I congratulate you on that. But that leased mini-van isn't something I'd bet your parents, grandparents, etc. would do. Leasing is fleecing. Sounds like you had the right idea on your car though (i.e. paid for). People spend entirely too much of their money on cars, in my opinion. When I got out of the new car buying business, my net worth rose considerably. They're just tools after all.