Carol Roth

And so it's really a struggle and it's kind of a bit of a difficult thing to get our heads wrapped around because

supposed to be having things like a smartphone that has a computer, you know, basically in your pocket, a supercomputer in your pocket and nice shoes and access to, you know, an abundance of choices.

That's supposed to be luxuries and that's supposed to make you feel like you don't have to worry about money.

But the necessities of our life have become so expensive that if you are in the middle and working class, you're

that you are very likely on that downward slope of the K. You're having a very different experience and it's been a struggle.

And that has sort of reverberated through political choices, the overall environment, personal balance sheets in terms of the amount of debt

that individuals are taking on.

And so, you know, you can say things are great or this or that from a very macro standpoint, but you really do have to look at those numbers and realize the experiences of individuals are very different in the economy.

Yeah, I comment every time we go out to dinner to my husband, you know, you sit down, you order, you know, at a nicer restaurant, a couple of burgers.

He has some beers.

Maybe you have an appetizer.

I get a Caesar salad and all of a sudden the bill comes and it's $170 before tip.

And you say to yourself, how does the average person who's working in this country go out and enjoy not even an extravagant meal?

Just, you know, what a few years ago would have been a basic meal and has now just absolutely become unaffordable for many people.

Or if they do want to take part in it, that they're putting it on credit cards or, you know, in the case of shopping, buy now, pay later, things like that.

and ruining their credit.

They're not building wealth, they're accumulating debt, and they feel like they can't get ahead.

I mean, one of the things about money and prosperity is it's supposed to take away the financial stress that we feel.

In today's reality, for most people, even if you do have enough money for some of these everyday luxuries, you're still feeling the crush

of the cost of living, and it is permeating through everything you do.