09/02/2026
Something I’ve been sitting with: your boss can be struggling, you can be underpaid, and the corporation above both of you can still be doing exactly what the system rewards it for doing.
That tension gets flattened in personal finance conversations.
We tell the worker to negotiate better.
We tell the owner to cut more costs.
We tell the consumer to shop local.
None of those choices are meaningless. But they keep placing the responsibility on the people with the least leverage.
Financial education can help us move within the economy. It can help us save, invest, advocate for ourselves and make more informed decisions.
But financial education cannot be the whole solution to a problem rooted in who holds wealth, influence and decision-making power.
I still believe in building individual wealth. I just no longer believe that individual wealth can be separated from the conditions we are all trying to live under.
What if the problem isn’t only our money habits?
What if we also need to ask: who has the power to change the conditions shaping those habits?
This is Part 2 of my reflections on individual and collective wealth. Read the full essay, “What If the Problem Isn’t Your Money Habits?” through the link in my bio.