Why the Rich are Not Financially Free

When I was a kid, there was an antidrug commercial where this man in a suit says to the camera: "I do coke, so I can earn more, so I can do more coke." He begins walking in a circle, repeating the phrase. As the camera pans out, we see that the man is confined to a small, windowless room where paces endlessly in circles saying the phrase over and over, a victim of the endless cycle of addiction. This is wealth in America.

We work more, so we can earn more, so we can have more money. Then what? We repeat the cycle. Endlessly. Tirelessly. And just like that man in the commercial, many of us—especially those we label as “wealthy”—are trapped in a self-imposed prison, spinning on a financial hamster wheel. Because in truth, the wealthy are rarely financially free. In fact, more often than not, they’re the most entangled in a system that demands their constant participation, their loyalty, their fear, and their faith.

A World Shaped by the Economy

We live in a world designed by money, for money. What began as a tool to facilitate trade has evolved into a sprawling system that governs nearly every aspect of life. Entire institutions exist solely to manage and manipulate it—investment banks, hedge funds, asset managers, and fintech firms. These entities don’t just support the economy; they are the economy.

We’re taught to obsess over GDP growth, inflation rates, and stock market indices as if our happiness depends on them. And in many ways, it does. Because we’ve allowed money to become our society’s compass, our scoreboard, and our definition of success.

Serving the System That Was Meant to Serve Us

Somewhere along the way, we forgot that money was designed to be a means—not the end. We were meant to use it to improve our lives, not live in service to it.

Yet here we are. Working longer hours to increase productivity, optimize output, and maximize shareholder returns. Human lives have become spreadsheets. Our time is monetized. Our decisions filtered through a lens of ROI. We’ve built a society where we live to work instead of working to live.

Education prepares us to serve industry. Healthcare is dictated by market forces. Even our creativity is expected to be monetized. And for the wealthy, the trap is even more refined—because now you’re not just making money, you’re managing it, growing it, defending it. The pressure never ends.

The Illusion of Success

Our culture has reduced the definition of success to a single metric: money. Net worth is shorthand for personal worth. Your zip code, your car, your job title—these are the new identity markers. And this obsession permeates every decision we make.

Talents are judged based on their marketability. Careers are chosen for their income potential. Even our self-esteem is tied to our ability to produce, to earn, to compete.

And if we’re not making money for ourselves, we’re making it for someone else. As employees, we create profit for companies. As consumers, we fuel global corporations. Whether rich or poor, we’re all participants in the same machine.

Freedom Requires a Shift in Mindset

So what’s the way out?

You cannot achieve financial freedom until you let go of the belief that money is the goal. The wealthy are not free because they still operate within the mindset that money equals meaning. That mindset is the trap.

Freedom begins when you shift your focus from accumulation to intention. Money is a tool. It was created to serve your life—your real life. The one designed to fulfill a purpose, filled with family, passions, ideas, adventure, love, rest, and impact. It’s there to help you express yourself, feed your purpose, and build something that matters.

The key isn’t just making more money. It’s changing what money means to you.

Final Thoughts

Money should serve you, not the other way around. True financial freedom isn’t about reaching a number—it’s about reclaiming your life from the systems, expectations, and definitions that no longer serve you. The real wealth is autonomy. The real asset is purpose.

Step off the treadmill. Exit the cycle. Use money as a bridge—not a destination.

Read More

If this resonates, you may also enjoy our article: “Financial Freedom: Escaping the Trap of Money-Driven Success”

Read more about how this mindset impacts our sense of identity in “Generational Wealth Isn’t the Goal—The Real Goal Is Generational Opportunity”

Learn how to reclaim your creativity as a source of freedom in “Calling All Creatives: The World Needs You”

For more on redefining your path to purpose, check out “Success Is Not a Zero-Sum Game”