Most of us like to believe we’re too sophisticated to confuse money with purpose. Yet a surprising number of people, especially younger generations, slip into that trap without ever consciously choosing it. The idea that “my purpose is to make money” has become so pervasive that it rarely gets questioned. It’s simple, it’s measurable, and on the surface, it makes sense.

But this simplicity is precisely what makes the “money as purpose” mindset so seductive. It’s the money mirage, and it’s quietly shaping the choices, anxieties, and identities of millions of people.

Working in the personal finance world has made me hyper-aware of how easily people assign meaning to money. I see more and more young adults anchoring their sense of purpose to financial achievement. Sometimes consciously, often not.

It’s not hard to see why. We celebrate creators, innovators, and people with big ideas, but we idolize wealth even more. Nothing captures this obsession better than the annual Forbes Billionaires List. It reads less like a financial report and more like a scoreboard that the world watches with awe.

Three forces in particular make wealth feel like a ready-made purpose:

1. Wealth is a public performance.

We’ve created a culture where success is displayed........

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