Nobody's Coming to Save You
The bottom 50% of Americans by net worth own just 1% of stocks. The top 1% own 50% or 29 trillion in stock. I'm assuming these numbers make many of you upset, and rightfully so.
In 2007 I remember balancing my checkbook on a Friday evening after getting paid and I had a balance of 32 cents. I remember standing in my kitchen feeling happy that I was not in the negative. Then I remember a wave of sadness come over me because of how low I had set my expectations and goals in life. I was 25 years old and broke with no plan. Shortly thereafter I read that in order for an individual to make a positive, lasting change in their life the perceived negatives have to outweigh the positives. This was the turning point for me; I was finally tired of being poor. No one was coming to save me.
Negatives of being poor:
Higher stress
Worse health
Poorer nutrition
Housing insecurity
Lower quality living environments
Harder to raise a family
No time for your children
Limited career mobility
Lower quality education
Less access to childcare
Unreliable transportation
Poor social stigma
Less excess to positive networks
Greater vulnerability to unexpected expenses
Few vacations
Less time off from work
Children have fewer resources and opportunities
Higher exposure to crime
Paying higher interest rates due to poor credit
Living in food deserts
Higher exposure to pollutants
Less access to preventative care
Unpredictable work schedules
Higher eviction rates
Less access to extracurriculars for kids
No ability to retire
Increase likelihood of working physically demanding jobs
Greater dependance on public welfare systems
Burdened by debt
Less access to mentors
Positives of being poor:
None
If you are tired of being poor, get mad, get motivated, get aggressive. (but not violent) Make improving your financial well-being as important as drinking water. Burn the ships and never look back. Read other lifechanging articles like these.
Asset Army: Wealth that Earns While You Sleep
Broke and Broken: How Money Stress Destroys Your Health
Financial Advice to my 20-Year-Old Self
Dear Johnny Q&A: I'm Tired of Being Broke, Where Do I Start?
Lastly, birth rates have dropped 40% since 1970. Numerous factors play into this, but one major contributing factor is financial insecurity. Few people feel confident bringing a child into the world when they are unable to meet their own needs. Do you know how hard you need to abuse a mammal to make them not have children? People are struggling. Animals in zoos have significantly less offspring. They are confined, have limited choices and are stressed.
Maybe today is the day you decide to escape out of the zoo and break the chain holding you in slavery.