Wealth psychologist, Jamie Traeger-Muney, is finding herself more and more in the role of thought leader in a field that is evocative and controversial. Her message is consistent and clear - vilifying the rich is harmful to society. Polarizing statements that put everyone into one group and speak uniformly about those who have the same identified characteristics leads to furthering the problems we seek to change. The media plays an important role in either fanning the flames of hostile envy and micro (and macro) aggression against the wealthy, or in educating everyone about how to build bridges and bring disparit groups together by identifying common experiences and how we are all uniquely human.
We continue to make a concerted effort whenever we are approached by a reporter to speak on behalf of the marginalized and isolated clients we serve who often feel they need to have their wealth remain hidden for fear of judgment, attack, and shame. We have yet to see where shaming someone leads to a positive outcome. It is our sincere hope, as well as our expressed purpose, to shine a light on dysfunctional approaches to wealth-disparity and to bring about a shift in thinking and speaking about those who are considered wealthy. A wise man once said: "If you want to be rich, bless them, instead of criticizing those who are."
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