The Harsh Truth: Many of Our Financial Problems Are Self-Inflicted

This may offend some people. That’s okay. Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable.

We spend a lot of time blaming governments, employers, inflation, immigrants, taxes, corporations, and “the system” for our financial struggles. While all of those factors certainly play a role, I believe one of the biggest causes of financial hardship is something far closer to home:

Our own choices.

Think about this for a moment.

Imagine a village of ten families.

Each family insists on having their own internet account, their own streaming subscriptions, their own expensive cable package, their own electricity setup, their own water account, their own security system, their own vehicle, and often their own unnecessary luxuries.

Then everyone gathers together and complains that life is too expensive.

What if the problem isn’t only that things cost too much?

What if the problem is that we refuse to share?

The Death of Community Economics

Our grandparents understood something that many of us have forgotten: survival often depended on cooperation.

Families lived together.

Grandparents helped raise grandchildren.

Food was shared.

Tools were shared.

Transportation was shared.

Expenses were shared.

When one person succeeded, the entire family benefited.

Today, we’ve replaced community with individuality.

Everyone wants their own apartment.

Everyone wants their own car.

Everyone wants their own subscriptions.

Everyone wants their own lifestyle.

And somehow, we’re surprised that we’re broke.

The Mathematics of Being Broke

Let’s do some simple math.

Suppose four adults live separately:

• Four internet bills
• Four electricity bills
• Four water bills
• Four rent or mortgage payments
• Four sets of appliances
• Four insurance policies
• Four separate grocery budgets

Now imagine those same four adults pooled resources intelligently.

Suddenly:

• One internet bill.
• Shared utilities.
• Shared transportation.
• Bulk purchasing power.
• Shared household expenses.
• Lower overall living costs.

The savings could amount to thousands of dollars every month.

But many of us would rather struggle independently than succeed collectively.

Why?

Because somewhere along the way, society convinced us that independence means owning everything ourselves.

The Cost of Pride

Let’s call it what it often is:

Pride.

We don’t want to live with family because people might judge us.

We don’t want roommates because we want “our own space.”

We don’t want to share resources because we fear losing control.

We don’t want to cooperate because we want to appear successful.

So we choose the appearance of wealth over the reality of financial security.

We finance vehicles we can’t afford.

We rent apartments larger than we need.

We buy things to impress people who don’t actually care.

Then we complain that life is hard.

Meanwhile, the Wealthy Think Differently

Here’s the irony.

Many wealthy people understand leverage and shared resources better than anyone.

They create partnerships.

They pool investments.

They form companies.

They share risk.

They leverage networks.

They understand that collaboration creates wealth faster than isolation.

Meanwhile, many ordinary people insist on doing everything alone and wonder why they remain financially stressed.

This Isn’t About Being Cheap

This isn’t about living a miserable life.

It’s about asking difficult questions:

• Do I really need everything to myself?
• Am I struggling financially because of necessity or because of preference?
• Have I confused independence with isolation?
• Am I willing to sacrifice long-term wealth for short-term pride?

The Conversation You Don’t Want to Have

The truth is that some of our financial problems are external.

But many are self-inflicted.

We have normalized individual struggle while abandoning collective strength.

We’ve turned “having my own” into a status symbol.

We’ve forgotten that communities become wealthy when people work together, not when everyone tries to survive alone.

Perhaps the greatest financial lesson of all is this:

Being independent doesn’t always mean doing everything by yourself.

Sometimes, true wisdom is recognizing that prosperity has always been a team sport.

And maybe—just maybe—the thing keeping many of us broke isn’t the economy.

It’s our refusal to share.

Would you rather own everything alone and struggle or  share resources and build wealth together?Be honest!

Kerwin Boxill