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The man responsible for why you’re broke
02/24/26 - Tuesday
Hey, it's Jen.
I need to tell you about someone you've probably never heard of, but whose ideas have shaped nearly every purchase you've ever made.
His name is Edward Bernays, and he's the reason buying things feels emotional, personal, and even patriotic.
If you've ever felt like your spending habits say something about who you are, that wasn't an accident.
Someone designed it that way.
Who is Edward Bernays? He’s an OG nepo baby.
Bernays was Sigmund Freud's nephew and the author of a 1928 book literally titled Propaganda.
He merged the psychology of the unconscious mind with mass communication to make TONS OF MONEY helping corporations engineer consent.
His playbook is still running today, nearly 100 years later, but here’s one of his creations we talk about in the episode
Torches of Freedom
In 1929, Lucky Strike hired Bernays to get women to smoke in public.
Women had just gained the right to vote, so Bernays hired women to smoke cigarettes during the Easter parade in NYC, calling them "torches of freedom" symbolizing equality with men.
The message was clear: Smoking = feminism. Not smoking = repression.
It worked. And brands have been doing this ever since.
Today, brands attach themselves to identities. From Stanley Cups to SUV colors that "define your mom personality." Shopping became a way to express who you are.
This episode covers four major examples of how Bernays' work shaped our culture, from shopping as leisure to "buying to save the world."
But here's the empowering part: once you're aware of the influence, it loses its power.
Trust me, you'll want to see the visuals and clips we reference!
Your Credit Matters More Than You Think!
A better score can save you hundreds on car loans, insurance, and more, without cutting a thing from your budget.
That’s why we recommend SmartCredit.
SmartCredit has tools like their ScoreBuilder to show you what’s helping or hurting your score and give you a plan to tackle negative items.
And ScoreBoost shows you exactly how much to pay on your credit cards based on your budget and by when to get the most points the fastest - on average customers see a 34+ point increase! **
💰 Make Saving Your New Flex
If Bernays taught us that buying should be a flex, we're here to flip that script: saving should be the flex.
That's why we both use CIT Bank's Savings Connect account for our sinking funds and emergency savings. Right now, they're offering 3.65% APY, and there are no hoops to jump through to get it.
No monthly service fees. Just a $100 minimum deposit, and you're earning real interest on money you're saving anyway.
While everyone else is being manipulated into spending, you can be intentionally growing your savings. That's the real power move. **
🎉 Don't Forget: $1,000 Giveaway Ends Soon!
We're still giving away $1,000 cash, and the giveaway ends February 27. Everyone who enters also gets a free bundle of digital downloads to help you save money.
And to thank you for entering, here’s a pic of me running 13.1 miles at Disneyland!
Keep being someone who questions the narratives and chooses intentionality over impulse. That's what makes you different.
Best,
Jen
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.