Last year, I was grabbing coffee with a friend in the city of London, the financial district where I used to work.

He's a trader making USDe 175k a year. Solid money, right?

Then he casually mentioned postponing a $400 dental procedure because he "couldn't spare the cash right now." Seems insurance couldn’t cover it.

I nearly choked on my flat white.

This is someone who drops $700 on client lunches without blinking. Who rents a $3,900/month apartment in Zone 1 because "image matters in trading." Who owns five designer suits because "you can't meet the Head of Japan's Fixed Income team looking like a junior analyst."

But a dental procedure? That's where he draws the line.

I did some quick math. After taxes and all his "essential" work expenses, his $175k salary nets him maybe $80k. And even that disappears into the black hole of looking successful.

Sound familiar?

The Success Theatre Trap

Here's what blew my mind: this isn't just about high-earning jobs.

Two years before that, I met a marketing manager in Singapore. Really ambitious, and clearly smart. She was head-to-toe in Lululemon - easily $500 worth of athleisure.

When I complimented her curved crossbody bag, she laughed: "After how hard we work, we deserve it!"

And there it was. The same trap, different outfit.

Both of them - the trader and the marketing manager - were spending money they didn't have to look like people they weren't quite yet.

The real kicker? This isn’t just for Corporate employees. This happens to most people.

But Wait, It Gets Worse

You’d think this madness stops when people start investing, right?

Wrong.

The same mindset that keeps high achievers broke follows them straight into their portfolios.

I see it constantly: someone finally decides to “get serious” about investing. They’ve got $10k saved up and they’re ready to build wealth.

So what do they do?

• Buy six different stocks because a stock news ad gave “hot tips”.
• Follow five TikTok finfluencers living the "early retired life".
• Open accounts with three different platforms.
• Trade every two weeks because it "looks legit”
• Panic sell when the news mentions a recession.

Sound familiar? It’s the same $500 Lululemon outfit, just for your portfolio.

Instead of keeping it simple with two global index funds, they create a complex mess that looks sophisticated, but makes it harder to track the markets.

Because here’s the truth: the easiest way to stay poor isn’t earning too little - it’s spending to look successful.

The Uncomfortable Math

When I started tracking my own spending years ago, I was horrified.

I was doing the same thing. Not with designer suits or expensive apartments, but with “personal development investments” that made me feel legitimate.

• Trips I went on to escape: $600/month.
• Takeaways since I had no time: $450/month.
• Investing course that sat unopened: $150/month.

I was spending $1,200+ monthly on looking like a successful investor instead of actually becoming one.

The moment I cut that nonsense and started investing that money into simple index funds?

My portfolio finally started growing.

The Simple Truth

Every wealthy person I know lives below their means and invests the difference.

Every broke person I know (regardless of salary) does the opposite.

The traders, marketing managers, and consultants making good salaries but sweating over dental bills - they all have one thing in common:

They buy complexity to look successful, instead of simplicity to become successful.

So here’s my question for you today: What are you paying the complexity tax on?

Whether it’s the athleisure gear because “you deserve it” or the seven hot stocks because “diversification is smart” - there’s something. Maybe several things.

Add them up. Find out what you’re spending to look successful instead of actually becoming successful.

I’ll bet you have some serious fat to cut, just like I did.

Here’s what that $500/month could actually do for you:

Invested in a simple global index fund over 20 years? That’s $262,400.

But most people will never do this math. They’ll keep buying the gear, the complexity, the image - and wonder why they’re still stressed about money despite living below their means.

So tell me, what will you stop paying for this week? Hit reply, and I’ll help you figure this out directly.

See you next Monday.

P.S. If athleisure is your “thing”, then go for it. There is zero judgment. This exercise is meant to encourage you to find things you're spending on simply because they make you look successful, when in reality, you’re not sure how they help you get closer to financial independence.