Money and the Modern World

When we were growing up, a scam was a badly written email from a Nigerian prince. A purchase meant handing over cash. Wanting something meant waiting for it.

None of that is true anymore.

Today’s children are growing up in a world where money is invisible, spending is frictionless, and financial threats are sophisticated enough to fool adults. The influencer economy tells them that wealth is effortless. In-game purchases train them to spend without feeling it. AI-generated scams can clone a parent’s voice from three seconds of audio.

We cannot assume that the financial instincts we developed gradually over decades will transfer automatically to a generation that has never known anything different.

This pillar is for parents who want to understand what their children are actually up against — and what to do about it.