10 Middle Class Habits That Keep You Poor

Overview

The video is a personal-finance/wealth-building guide arguing that several common lifestyle and money behaviors keep people from building long-term financial security.

Extracted Financial Concepts / Instruments / Tickers

• No specific market tickers/ETFs/stocks/bonds/commodities/crypto mentioned.

Financial items mentioned (general)

• Emergency fund: cash reserved for unexpected expenses
• Credit card debt: described as a risk consequence of not having an emergency fund
• Debt financing: used to make big-ticket purchases feel “affordable”
• Inflation: reduces purchasing power of cash over time
• Compound interest: benefit of investing compared with holding cash
• Dividends and rental properties: examples of alternative income
• Digital/online income streams (e.g., AdSense, online courses)

Services/brands referenced in a financial context

• Insurance, banks, phone/internet providers: referenced regarding pricing/loyalty discounts
• DeleteMe (sponsor): data privacy service—not positioned as an investment

Key Numbers & Explicit Recommendations / Cautions

Macro/financial math & risk management

• Emergency fund target: ~3 to 6 months of essential living expenses
• Cash shortfall statistic: ~53% of adults (Bankrate survey) can’t cover a $1,000 surprise bill with savings
• Consequence noted: without emergency cash, people may rely on a $1,000 deductible paid via credit card debt, which can spiral

“Skill vs lifestyle” (opportunity cost framing)

• Example cited: a skill increase that could earn $10,000/year versus depreciating consumer assets
• Consumer depreciation claims:
  • New car depreciates 10–15% immediately
  • New phone loses value right after unboxing

Spending discipline (“death by a thousand cuts” / budgeting)

• Delivery “tax” example: a DoorDash meal can cost 2x the restaurant price once delivery fees + tips are included
• Apps/subscriptions: 10–20 apps/memberships mentioned, with about half forgotten
• Purchase examples: $7 unicorn Frappuccino; $40 impulse buy (TikTok Shop)

Income / investing stance

• Millionaire “streams of income” claim: 3–7 streams
• Habit 9 “don’t save too much” (reframed): don’t keep all long-term money as cash
  • Rationale: inflation and lost compound interest

MLM disclosure example (cashflows)

• FTC-related summary:
  • Most members earn less than $84/month in the MLM
  • Up to 99% lose money
• Personal example (earnings vs spending):
  • Total earned: $193,122
  • Total spent: $381,472
  • Net loss: $188,350
• Time period:
  • Started at about age ~21
  • Exited in 2024
  • Yearly figures provided for 2016–2024

Sponsor discount (privacy service)

• 20% off DeleteMe consumer plans via joindeleteme.com/a2zen and code a2zen (or QR)
• Not positioned as a financial recommendation—privacy protection.

Step-by-Step / Framework-Style Guidance (Habits)

Note: No formal investing/valuation methodology is provided; the guidance is primarily behavioral.

Habit 1: Upgrade skills, not possessions

• Reframe “financial windfall” away from upgrading items (car/phone/house features)
• Toward continuing education/certifications/skill-building
• Use opportunity cost logic: skills that raise income can compound over decades

Habit 2: Emergency fund planning

• Build liquidity for surprises:
  • Target 3–6 months of essential expenses
  • Start small and contribute consistently (e.g., $10, $20, or $50 per paycheck)

Habit 6: Affordability filter

• Apply an “I can afford it” test carefully:
  • Include ongoing costs (insurance, maintenance, depreciation, utilities, etc.)
  • Avoid letting debt make purchases look affordable
• Prefer saving-first: “buy second,” not “buy first and finance later”

Habit 7: Pay yourself last (make it non-negotiable)

• Treat savings/investing like a mandatory bill
• Start small (examples mentioned: 10%, 20 dollars, 1%) and increase over time

Habit 8: Multiple income streams

• Reduce reliance on a single paycheck/job
• Start with one additional stream (examples: dividends, freelancing, small business, rental properties)

Habit 9: Don’t keep everything in cash forever

• Warning: holding long-term money as cash ignores inflation
• Warning: missing compound interest by not investing

Habit 10: Sale-filter

• Only buy sale items if you would still buy without the discount:
  • “Would I still buy this if there were no sale sign?”
• Avoid “clearance” and “spend more” traps (including free-shipping thresholds)

Disclosures / Disclaimers

• The video includes a sponsored content disclosure for DeleteMe with a discount code.
• The provided subtitles did not include an explicit “not financial advice” disclaimer.

Presenters / Sources Mentioned

• Presenter (speaker): “a middle-class gal” (name not provided in subtitles)
• Sources/statistics cited:
  • Bankrate: emergency savings shortfall (~53% can’t pay a $1,000 surprise bill)
  • FTC: MLM earnings/loss rates (“most members earn less than $84/month” and “up to 99% lose money”)
  • Wirecutter: DeleteMe named #1 data removal service
• Sponsor: DeleteMe (code a2zen)