If financial success were a war, there would be an enemy constantly working to keep people trapped in poverty. This enemy is not always external—it is often the combination of societal conditioning, bad habits, and limiting beliefs that sabotage financial growth. If the goal were to ensure people remain poor, here are 30 highly effective tactics that would accomplish just that.
1. Make People Believe Wealth Is Evil
- Convince them that money is the root of all evil.
- Make them feel guilty for wanting financial success.
- Encourage the belief that wealthy individuals are corrupt, greedy, and untrustworthy, leading them to reject wealth.
2. Promote a Victim Mentality
- Make them believe they are powerless to change their financial situation.
- Convince them that the system is rigged against them, making effort seem pointless.
- Encourage them to blame external forces—governments, employers, or the wealthy—rather than taking personal responsibility.
3. Destroy the Work Ethic
- Glorify laziness and discourage hard work.
- Make them obsessed with quick wins like gambling and scams instead of long-term wealth-building strategies.
- Encourage them to prioritise comfort and entertainment over discipline and self-improvement.
4. Encourage Reckless Spending
- Convince them to spend more than they earn.
- Promote excessive consumerism, making them believe they need the latest gadgets, cars, and fashion to feel successful.
- Ensure they become reliant on debt—credit cards, payday loans, and buy-now-pay-later schemes—to survive.
5. Keep Them Financially Illiterate
- Make them believe that financial knowledge is too complicated for them to understand.
- Instil fear of investing so they either hoard cash (which depreciates) or recklessly spend.
- Distract them with entertainment instead of financial education on assets, stocks, and property.
6. Prioritise Instant Gratification Over Long-Term Success
- Convince them that life is too short to plan for the future.
- Encourage impulsive spending rather than disciplined saving and investing.
- Make them choose short-term pleasures over long-term financial security.
7. Surround Them With Negative Influences
- Ensure their social circles reinforce bad money habits.
- Create an environment where financial success is mocked, and mediocrity is normalised.
- Fill their media feeds with fear-driven content about economic instability and financial failure.
8. Discourage Entrepreneurship
- Convince them that starting a business is too risky and only for the exceptionally talented.
- Make them believe they are safer as employees, relying on a fixed salary their whole life.
- Ensure they never learn about multiple income streams, financial leverage, or passive income.
9. Trap Them in the Wrong Education
- Push formal education as the only path to success while downplaying financial education.
- Make them believe that obtaining a degree automatically leads to wealth.
- Keep them focused on academic achievements instead of practical skills like negotiation, sales, and investing.
10. Foster Dependence on External Help
- Encourage reliance on government support rather than financial independence.
- Make them believe someone else—a company, family member, or the economy—is responsible for their success.
- Keep them waiting for a lucky break rather than taking control of their own financial destiny.
11. Encourage a Fear of Change
- Make them resistant to new opportunities or learning new skills.
- Convince them that financial success is for “other people” and not for them.
- Keep them afraid of failure, so they never take action.
12. Promote a Culture of Excuses
- Encourage justifications like “I’m too young,” “I’m too old,” “I’m not good at maths,” or “I don’t have the right background.”
- Make them focus on obstacles rather than solutions.
- Ensure they always find a reason why they cannot improve their financial situation.
13. Glorify Entertainment Over Productivity
- Ensure they spend hours on social media, video games, and TV rather than learning financial skills.
- Promote the idea that relaxation and entertainment should always come first.
- Encourage them to idolise celebrities and influencers instead of real wealth creators.
14. Normalise Debt
- Make borrowing seem necessary for a comfortable life.
- Ensure they believe that loans for education, cars, and even daily expenses are unavoidable.
- Encourage a mindset where credit card debt is seen as normal rather than a financial trap.
15. Downplay the Importance of Savings
- Convince them that saving is pointless because “you only live once.”
- Encourage reckless spending habits with no regard for financial emergencies.
- Make them believe that saving is only for the wealthy, not for the average person.
16. Keep Them Distracted With Materialism
- Make them equate self-worth with possessions.
- Encourage them to measure success by what they own rather than their financial security.
- Ensure they spend money to impress others rather than secure their future.
17. Encourage a Lottery Mentality
- Make them believe that wealth is about luck, not strategy and discipline.
- Ensure they focus on lotteries, get-rich-quick schemes, and unrealistic investments instead of proven financial principles.
- Discourage them from taking real control of their finances.
18. Make Them Fear Risk
- Convince them that all investments are too risky and only for experts.
- Ensure they avoid opportunities that could grow their wealth, like stocks or property.
- Make them so afraid of failure that they never take calculated risks.
19. Discourage Networking and Mentorship
- Keep them isolated from people who could teach them financial wisdom.
- Ensure they view networking as manipulative rather than a tool for success.
- Convince them that seeking mentorship is a sign of weakness.
20. Make Financial Struggles Feel Like a Badge of Honour
- Glorify the idea that suffering through financial hardship is noble.
- Encourage a mindset where working hard but struggling is considered more respectable than financial success.
- Make them believe that striving for wealth is selfish rather than empowering.
21. Promote Unhealthy Habits That Drain Wealth
- Encourage them to spend excessively on smoking, alcohol, and other costly habits.
- Ensure they neglect their health so they spend large amounts on medical bills later.
- Convince them that self-care is expensive rather than a necessary investment.
22. Keep Them Chasing Status Instead of Stability
- Encourage them to buy expensive cars, designer brands, and luxury items even when they can’t afford them.
- Make them believe they need to “look rich” rather than “be rich.”
- Promote social pressure to impress others with spending.
23. Convince Them That Money Is Boring
- Make them believe financial planning is tedious and unimportant.
- Ensure they avoid budgeting and tracking expenses.
- Encourage an “I’ll figure it out later” attitude.
24. Normalise the 9-5 Trap Without Wealth Creation
- Make them think working a regular job without investing is the only way to live.
- Ensure they never explore alternative income streams like freelancing, side businesses, or passive income.
- Keep them reliant on a salary rather than financial independence.
25. Discourage Financial Discipline
- Ensure they never develop habits like budgeting, saving, and investing.
- Encourage a lifestyle where financial chaos is the norm.
- Make them believe they’ll always have time to fix their financial mistakes later.
26. Use Fear to Keep Them Stagnant
- Make them afraid to ask for raises, change jobs, or negotiate salaries.
- Convince them that financial growth is risky and staying the same is safer.
- Ensure they remain in their comfort zones instead of seeking progress.
27. Promote a Fixed Mindset Over a Growth Mindset
- Ensure they believe intelligence and abilities are fixed, so there’s no point in learning new financial skills.
- Convince them that success is for those who are “naturally gifted.”
- Keep them away from books, courses, and experiences that could expand their mindset.
28. Make Investing Seem Unattainable
- Convince them that only the rich invest.
- Ensure they believe they need a lot of money to start.
- Discourage them from exploring investment opportunities.
29. Discourage Goal-Setting
- Make them believe financial planning is a waste of time.
- Ensure they live day-to-day without a long-term vision.
- Promote a mindset where the future is someone else’s responsibility.
30. Keep Them Comfortable With Mediocrity
- Encourage them to settle for just enough rather than striving for more.
- Make them fear ambition, seeing it as greed.
- Ensure they never realise their full financial potential.
By recognising and rejecting these traps, anyone can take control of their financial destiny and break free from poverty.
