This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
People don’t invest because of procrastination, not lack of knowledge
Why do people willingly choose to fail at the game of money?
Reason 1: Helplessness
Learned helplessness is one reason.
“Seligman and Maier (1967) theorized that animals learned that outcomes were independent of their responses – that nothing they did mattered – and that this learning undermined trying to escape (National Institute of Health).”
Too many people never take productive and intentional action regarding their finances because they feel stuck.
People feel their income is capped.
People feel overwhelmed by debt and give in to a lifetime of minimum payments.
People want to live above their means and don’t want to surrender their horrendous shopping habits.
People don’t know how or where to find money to invest.
People don’t want to take a practice approach and learn about personal finance.
Action Reduces Ignorance
Though I know a little bit of information about money, I still feel I’m missing loads of information, and I am.
I’ll never have all the information on money, but I can at least commit to investing time and effort into learning about it.
So I’m taking action.
I read ten books about personal finance in the past week, and it’s not stopping there.
I’m working on my next ones, and the journey won’t stop because I refuse to be helpless and accept mediocre financial results during my lifetime.
Break out of learned helplessness by taking action.
Reason 2: Time
But another reason people fail at the game of money is they think they have time.
Buddha Said, “The trouble is, you think you have time.”
A 37-year-old told me he wished he started investing earlier.
I asked him why he didn’t; he said, “lack of knowledge”, but I interpreted his answer differently.
We live in a society where MONEY MATTERS. We ALL know this.
When you fail at money, you severely limit your options, your peace, your lifestyle, and your access (e.g., healthcare, education, housing, etc.).
Interpretation: When people say they didn’t start investing or taking money seriously until they hit 40, 50, or 60, what they’re really saying is, “I didn’t FEEL like prioritizing money until it I HAD to.”
Getting your financial shit together isn’t something that just dawns on you when you become older.
You talk about and ask for money when you’re in elementary school, middle school, and high school.
You complain about money to your friends and family when you’re in your 20s and 30s.
You hear people talk about money and what their relationship to it is throughout your entire life.
Money is constantly on our minds and intricately woven into our daily conversations.
Though each decade we hit is another milestone that reminds us of whether we’re off or on track financially, money is a revolving subject.
The decade birthdays are simply LOUDER reminders that signal we need to get our money in order.
The time to act is now.
The time to invest is now.
The time to learn about money is now.
Summary
So why don’t people invest more energy, time, and effort into up-leveling their financial education?
Learned helplessness.
They believe their time isn’t running out.
Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness can be reversed by taking action as you acquire knowledge.
“Time Can’t Run Out, Right?”
The best time to act is now – whether you’re 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90. Yes, you will have to work harder than people who are younger, but the longer you wait, the harder you’ll have to work.
Instead of waiting for the next decade reminder, start educating yourself about money now.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.