Social media isn't just showing us what friends are doing. It's signaling us what 'normal' spending looks like, even when it's not actually normal.

Sometimes the most rational response to an irrational market is to admit you have no idea what's happening.

AI-powered personalized pricing sounds innovative until you realize it's just computers being better at price discrimination.

In a world of infinite information, "I don't know" has become the most honest market analysis.

The more complex our financial system gets, the more it starts to resemble a very expensive random number generator.

Maybe the real market fundamentals were the cognitive biases we made along the way.

Writing about market psychology while the market makes no psychological sense is very 2025 energy.

Zero-sum thinking — believing your success requires my failure — is spreading because economic uncertainty makes people hoard opportunities instead of creating them. It's scarcity mindset at society scale.

We gave teenagers unlimited access to gambling apps and stock trading, then act surprised when they can't tell the difference between investing and betting.

The line between meme stock trading and gambling apps is getting thinner. Both exploit the same psychological vulnerabilities, just with different interfaces.

Smartphone gambling apps are creating the first generation with casinos in their pockets 24/7. This isn't just about money — it's about rewiring young brains for addiction at scale.

Me in 2021: "I'll never fall for meme stocks again" Me seeing DORK stocks trending: "But what if Krispy Kreme really IS the future of finance?"

Understanding your money behavior patterns isn't just interesting — it's practical. When you know WHY you behave certain ways with money, you can make more conscious choices.

Traditional financial advice assumes you're a rational economic actor. But you're actually a human being whose money decisions are driven by fear, hope, social comparison, and past trauma.

Understanding these psychological patterns is key to making conscious money decisions. More insights in my weekly newsletter:

What if we stopped playing along with a system designed to keep us broke? What if we built communities based on mutual aid instead of mutual exploitation? The grift economy only works if we keep participating in it.

Yes, the financial system is rigged. No, that doesn't mean you're powerless. Understanding the psychology gives you tools to navigate it more consciously. Knowledge is power.

Red flags that someone's selling financial BS: 🚩 Rented luxury in photos 🚩 "This one weird trick" 🚩 Pressure to "act now" 🚩 Testimonials but no verifiable results 🚩 Targeting your insecurities

When part of your brain is always worried about money, you have less mental capacity for everything else. Debt isn't just a financial burden — it's a cognitive one.

Individual financial struggles are often symptoms of systemic problems: Wage stagnation Healthcare costs Housing prices Student debt crisis You're not broken. The system is.

Your prefrontal cortex (rational brain) gets tired throughout the day. This is why grocery stores put candy at checkout and why late-night shopping leads to bad decisions.

Before any major financial decision, ask: What emotion am I feeling? What story am I telling myself? Who benefits if I say yes? What would I tell a friend to do?

money psychology isn't just about how much you have — it's about the stories you tell yourself about what money means.

What if we designed a financial system that actually helped people build wealth instead of extracting it?

"Personal responsibility" rhetoric around debt ignores the massive power imbalance between individuals and financial institutions. You're not failing at personal finance. The system is designed to extract wealth from you.

Money is the #1 cause of relationship conflict. Not because people don't know how to budget, but because they never discussed their money scripts, values, and emotional triggers.

Good money advice is often surprisingly simple. Which is why it doesn't sell courses.

Financial stress literally changes your brain structure. — Impairs decision-making — Reduces working memory — Triggers trauma responses — Shortens time horizons

The same psychological tools designed to help us make better financial decisions have been weaponized by apps to keep us gambling.

Notice how "hustle culture" emerged right as the American Dream died? When legitimate opportunities disappear, people become vulnerable to scams and grifts.

You are not your debt. You are not your credit score. You are not your net worth. You are not your income. You are a human being whose value cannot be measured in dollars.

Your brain has two financial systems: System 1: Fast, emotional, impulsive System 2: Slow, logical, deliberate Marketers target System 1. Financial education tries to strengthen System 2. Guess which one usually wins?

Millennials were told college debt was an "investment." Gen Z is being sold crypto as "financial education." Every generation gets sold a different dream that requires going into debt first.

Delete your payment info from shopping apps. The 30 seconds it takes to re-enter your card details gives your rational brain time to catch up with your impulses. Small friction = big behavioral change.

The US economy literally depends on consumer debt to function. Consumer spending is 70% of GDP. A big part of that spending is financed. We've created a system that requires people to be in debt for it to work.

99% of MLM participants lose money. 99%. Yet people keep joining because the psychology of "maybe I'll be different" is incredibly powerful. Hope is a hell of a drug.

Even as someone who writes about money psychology, I still catch my brain playing tricks on me.

How to spot a financial grift: 1/ They promise "secret knowledge" 2/ Create fake urgency ("limited time!") 3/ Use rented luxury as "proof" 4/ Target your insecurities about money 5/ Avoid talking about actual strategy If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Financial shame is real and it's toxic. Your worth as a person is not determined by your net worth, credit score, or how much debt you carry. You are not a moral failure if you're struggling financially.

People in debt are 3x more likely to consider suicide than those without financial stress. It's never just about money. It's about mental health, dignity, and the psychological weight of owing money in America.

Everyone's getting rich and you're not. Except most people aren't actually getting rich — they're just financing the appearance of wealth. There's a difference between looking successful and being financially secure.

Loss aversion explains why credit cards work so well: Swiping plastic doesn't FEEL like losing money the way handing over cash does. Your brain processes digital transactions differently than physical ones.

The rise of "Buy Now, Pay Later" for GROCERIES is peak grift economy.

Before making any purchase over $50, pause and ask yourself: "What emotion am I feeling right now?" You might be surprised how much feelings drive spending decisions.

Think of money scripts like your phone's operating system — running in the background, making decisions without your conscious awareness.

The financial advice industry has failed us. Most advice ignores the psychological reality of how people actually make money decisions. "Just budget better" isn't helpful when your money scripts are sabotaging you unconsciously.

Average American household debt: $105,056 That's more than most people make in a year. We've built an entire economy on the assumption that everyone will always owe money.

What's one money belief you inherited from your family that you've never questioned?

Myth: "Good debt vs bad debt" Reality: All debt is debt. The labels just make us feel better about owing money. Your mortgage might be "good debt" but it's still debt. Your brain still processes it as money you owe.

I used to think financial anxiety meant I was "bad with money." Turns out my brain was just doing its job — trying to protect me from a system designed to keep me spending. Understanding the psychology changed everything.