There is a big game going on involving some very bright people as they try to reach the average American. That game has been playing out over many decades and it continues to ratchet up year after year with those very smart people getting better and better at playing the game, at the expense of the average American I might add. What is this game? It is a game created to extract money from YOU. Let's explore.
Businesses spend billions of dollars marketing their products and services. Amazon alone spent $31 Billion (yes billion) in 2025 on all types of advertising that is part of a much bigger plan to sell their products to you and me. Why do they spend so much money on advertising? It works. Companies learn as much as possible about us and then do their best to fill a perceived "void" in our lives.
The game involves how much of their products and services they can sell to justify the money spent on advertising. They hope to pull in $4 for every $1 spent on advertising (more if possible). They "educate" us on who they are and why they can "help" us create a better life. They end up knowing us better than we know ourselves. Impossible? Nope, they have studied us just like the scientist studies the lab rat.
They are watching our every move. This is why you and I start to see items show up on our feed on social media and elsewhere based on what we just clicked on or purchased. They hit us fast with "amazing" deals that are sure to "enhance" our lives with a "sale" that will not last long. Fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in. We buy things we did not need, but somehow, "wanted." We are facing a formable opponent.
It's all a big game and sadly, millions of people lose that game. They end up spending their discretionary income (or just go into debt) on items that end up meaning nothing, ultimately ending up in the garage, a storage facility, or sold at pennies on the dollar at a garage sale. Smart and cunning businesses win the game, as the average consumer loses with little to no money saved and invested for their future needs.
It doesn't have to play out that way. The way you and I win this game is to see through the marketing campaigns full of strategic and well designed advertising. We see how the business plays the game, and we play it better. We do not take our discretionary income to buy crap we don't need. We save that money and invest it wisely in stock index funds, creating financial freedom in the future.
The same game is playing out with financial firms. This industry also spends billions of dollars on advertising trying to convince you and me they will serve our needs better than doing it ourselves. The game is the same. They study us, find our weaknesses, and then exploit them by using our fear, lack of knowledge and greed against us. It works. The financial service industry is worth over $30 Billion at this time.
They are winning the game and the average investor is losing. That can change as well by understanding it's all a game in an attempt to get more of our money. The way we play that game to win is quite simple. We do it ourselves. We own low cost index funds inside and outside of retirement accounts while managing our fears and greed as best we can. Ask AI, "What is the best way to invest"?
Why is it that so many people lose these games with businesses? It's not as simple as one answer, but here is one thing to keep in mind. They keep us so busy running around chasing after the next big thing. We get caught up in the busyness of day to day life and take our eye off the long game. We think we are winning the game, but we're not. They are winning and our future self suffers the consequences.
Solution? Put yourself in the shoes of your future self. Your future self wants freedom, peace, happiness, positive relationships, prosperity if you will. How do you achieve that for our future self? We learn to say no a lot. We say no to most of the advertising, which allows us to save that money and invest it wisely in index funds. The portfolio of index funds provides for our future. The crap we buy today will not.
If you google, how do I protect myself from advertising? AI will tell you to block ads, opt out of targeted ads and plenty more. That might help a little on the edges, but here is an approach that has worked for many, including myself. Do not buy on impulse. If you find yourself wanting something, give yourself 30 days and if you still want it, and you have the cash, then buy it. You will end up spending a lot less, I promise.
How do you protect yourself from financial firms trying to get your money away from index funds and into their expensive products? This comes down to taking the time to educate ourselves from the right sources (teachers, not salespeople). When in doubt, listen to Warren Buffett here. This video right here, straight from John Bogle may be the best advice you will ever get on investing.
Here is my favorite way to deal with the onslaught of advertising. Laugh at the big game they are all playing, trying to reach you and your money. See through the pretty show for what it is. Just a game trying to increase their revenue by getting you to spend money on crap or investments you don't need. Just laugh at the whole big show as you save and invest your way in index funds toward Financial Freedom.
There is an art to spending money. Morgan Housel wrote a book on it. See it here. This topic and book is worth your time. That comment could be coming from your future self. What we do today will have a major impact on our future life. By learning how to spend less, save more, and invest wisely in low cost index funds, we end up much richer that goes far beyond money. We will be FREE to live the life of our dreams.
I will leave you with this. American's life to spend money. It's better to own companies that spend on advertising, rather than buy their products. This is what we are doing with stock index funds. We own businesses that make money in a chaotic, erratic capitalistic society where there are winners and losers. The winners end up with assets producing passive income. The losers end up with junk. Be a winner!
