Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Thanks to our good friends at Monarch for sponsoring this video! Get 50% off Monarch's Core Plan with code TFD50: bit.ly/KPV42226
Cost of living, wages, and wealth inequality are more connected than we tend to admit. In this video, friend of TFD, Kara Perez, breaks down why so many people feel like they’re falling behind financially — even if the economy says otherwise —exploring how money increasingly flows to capital over labor, what a K-shaped economy means in real life, and how decades of policy decisions have shaped the financial reality many Americans are facing today.
OTHER FINANCIAL PRODUCTS WE PERSONALLY RECOMMEND:
Financial Advisory - Advisor.com: bit.ly/4mI0yta
Investing - Betterment: bit.ly/3OejinG
Kara is the founder of Kara Explores Money & author of Money For Change. Find more from Kara here:
-Follow her here: instagram.com/karaexploresmoney
-You can purchase Kara's book, Money For Change, here: bookshop.org/p/books/money-for-change-how-to-reduce-waste-build-wealth-and-create-a-better-future-for-all-kara-perez/67361feb311f3e8b
SOURCE LINKS:
newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc/background.html
apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_gains_tax
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Reform_Act_of_1986
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_tax
finance.yahoo.com/news/top-10-earners-drive-nearly-191500198.html
home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/rent-house-prices-and-demographics
investopedia.com/what-s-the-difference-between-pension-and-401k-and-why-are-companies-moving-away-from-pensions-11707094
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Air_Traffic_Controllers_Organization_(1968)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Aviation_Administration
pbs.org/newshour/health/health-subsidies-expire-launching-millions-of-americans-into-2026-with-steep-insurance-hikes
healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/#Total%20national%20health%20expenditures,%20US%20$%20per%20capita,%201970-2024
electrek.co/2026/01/23/tesla-cuts-standard-autopilot-paywalls-basic-safety-feature-behind-fsd-subscription
sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-and-khanna-introduce-legislation-to-tax-billionaire-wealth-and-invest-in-working-families
epi.org/publication/workers-resolve-drives-increase-in-unionization-in-2025
epi.org/press/union-membership-rose-in-2025-including-among-federal-workers
Thanks to our good friends at Monarch for sponsoring this video! Get 50% off Monarch's Core Plan with code TFD50: bit.ly/KPV42226
Cost of living, wages, and wealth inequality are more connected than we tend to admit. In this video, friend of TFD, Kara Perez, breaks down why so many people feel like they’re falling behind financially — even if the economy says otherwise —exploring how money increasingly flows to capital over labor, what a K-shaped economy means in real life, and how decades of policy decisions have shaped the financial reality many Americans are facing today.
OTHER FINANCIAL PRODUCTS WE PERSONALLY RECOMMEND:
Financial Advisory - Advisor.com: bit.ly/4mI0yta
Investing - Betterment: bit.ly/3OejinG
Kara is the founder of Kara Explores Money & author of Money For Change. Find more from Kara here:
-Follow her here: instagram.com/karaexploresmoney
-You can purchase Kara's book, Money For Change, here: bookshop.org/p/books/money-for-change-how-to-reduce-waste-build-wealth-and-create-a-better-future-for-all-kara-perez/67361feb311f3e8b
SOURCE LINKS:
newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc/background.html
apps.urban.org/features/wealth-inequality-charts
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_gains_tax
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Reform_Act_of_1986
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_tax
finance.yahoo.com/news/top-10-earners-drive-nearly-191500198.html
home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/rent-house-prices-and-demographics
investopedia.com/what-s-the-difference-between-pension-and-401k-and-why-are-companies-moving-away-from-pensions-11707094
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Air_Traffic_Controllers_Organization_(1968)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Aviation_Administration
pbs.org/newshour/health/health-subsidies-expire-launching-millions-of-americans-into-2026-with-steep-insurance-hikes
healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/#Total%20national%20health%20expenditures,%20US%20$%20per%20capita,%201970-2024
electrek.co/2026/01/23/tesla-cuts-standard-autopilot-paywalls-basic-safety-feature-behind-fsd-subscription
sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-and-khanna-introduce-legislation-to-tax-billionaire-wealth-and-invest-in-working-families
epi.org/publication/workers-resolve-drives-increase-in-unionization-in-2025
epi.org/press/union-membership-rose-in-2025-including-among-federal-workers
