I think part of your financial insecurity was a career choice and where you chose to live. With a simple BS degree I had multiple job offers with a starting pay equal to $65,000 today and with multiple offers I chose one that let me live in an affordable community a easy commute from work.

Even Luck and Hard Work are not enough, you need to be Smart about it as well.

On the privilege spectrum, I admit I had some but we were poor enough that I had to work to supplement my Pell Grant to pay for school.

I would guess my greatest privileges are that I am White, Male, Cis, Hetero, Attractive, Fit, and Look and Sound Smart and Friendly. I don’t know if it is a privilege but I grew up in a rural area where while we were poor by national standards we were middle class. My father was a disabled war hero and my mother did not even go to High School. I worked as a kid and saved enough to buy myself a motorcycle before I turned 15. My family was rich enough that I was allowed to keep the money I earned. I worked on farms, delivered newspapers, cut grass, shoveled snow, mopped floors, cut wood. I was a varsity athlete three seasons a year and played in band and jazz band and even had a couple paying gigs.

I think the biggest cause of poverty is ignorance and stupidity. The smart people even in the poorest communities seem to find a way to get ahead.

Smart is not necessarily a high IQ.

Luck and hard work are not enough you have to be smart.

TEK