Here's a hot take that might rub people the wrong way: the idea that Americans have lost purchasing power is fundamentally wrong. What's actually happening is way more interesting—and way more political.

Yeah, inflation headlines are everywhere. People feel squeezed. But if you look at actual household spending data, the picture gets messy fast. Real purchasing power hasn't collapsed the way the doom-scrollers claim.

So what's driving this disconnect? It's not the economy or your wallet—it's the narrative. Inflation became a political weapon, and that narrative has so much gravity that people's perception of their financial reality has warped. The collective belief that you can't afford anything anymore says more about how toxic the inflation debate became than it does about whether your dollar is actually worth less.

The psychology matters more than you'd think, especially in markets where sentiment shapes everything.