Why You Feel Poorer Even as the World Gets Richer

Listen to this episode from The Investor Lab on Spotify. Why does life keep getting more expensive, even as technology makes everything cheaper? Every year, we produce more, innovate faster, and work harder. Yet somehow, it feels harder than ever to get ahead. This episode reveals why that feeling isn’t a failure… its design. We uncover the hidden architecture of inflation: the mechanisms, incentives, and feedback loops that keep modern economies running on perpetual money creation.  Inflation isn’t random. It’s engineered. And understanding how it works explains why you feel poorer in our most technologically-advanced age yet.  Here’s what we’re unpacking:* Why “growth” has become a disguise for dilution* How new money always flows to the ultra-wealthy first (the Cantillon Effect in modern form)* The missing prosperity that technology should have delivered, and who’s capturing it instead* Why governments can’t stop printing (and why inflation is now policy, not accident)* How the system feeds on productivity itself, keeping you running faster but never getting ahead If you’ve ever felt like you’re running faster but standing still, this episode will show you why. See you on the inside.   IMPORTANT: The Investor Lab is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice before making any investment or financial decisions. CHAPTERS:00:00 – Today’s mission: Hidden Architecture of Inflation07:32 – Should prices fall? Free markets, tech, and Jeff Booth’s maxim10:31 – Quantity Theory of Money (MV = PQ) made simple22:45 – The Cantillon Effect: why new money lifts assets first39:16 – Inflation–Productivity Delta: the missing 5.6% a year54:20 – Politics of perpetual inflation: debt, velocity, and incentives1:16:20 – Rapid recap + what we’ll cover next week (what to do about it!) WATCH ON YOUTUBE: Why You Feel Poorer Even as the World Gets Richer – SERIES: Why Getting Ahead Is Getting Harder (and What To Do About It) Have you noticed that, no matter how hard you work, it feels harder to get ahead?  Wages look bigger, property prices keep climbing, and the headlines say Australia is richer than ever. But for many households, the reality is the opposite — pay rises don’t stretch, saving feels impossible, and the dream of home ownership slips further away. In this new mini-series — Why Getting Ahead Is Getting Harder (and What To Do About It) — we expose the hidden forces behind the squeeze: from the illusion of prosperity created by money supply growth, to the widening divides between owners and non-owners, to the strategies you can use to protect yourself and build real wealth today. The old rules no longer work: work hard, save diligently, and expect security. The new rules are here. And in this series, we’ll show you how to use them to your advantage. -- RESOURCES TO HELP:  Join the conversation: The Investor Lab Community  Looking for a team to partner with you in your portfolio building journey? Join Dashdot: https://bit.ly/3E0wKGa Need finance guidance?Chat with the team: http://hey.dashdotfinance.com.au/discoverycall Build Your FREE Portfolio Growth Plan on Property Pathfinder:https://propertypathfinder.io Got a question or some feedback? We're all ears!https://bit.ly/tilqs – Catch Up On Recent Episodes: AI, Housing & Money Printing: 3 Big Questions Shaping Your Financial Future  Turning Property Wealth Into Retirement Income The Great Melt-Up: When Trust in Money Dies  The Illusion of Prosperity: Why Getting Ahead Feels Impossible  First Home Guarantee Scheme, Property Scarcity, and Why It Matters for Everyone Else NZ Property Market Crash: What Does It Mean For Australia? 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