09/24/2026
Your kid can read every word on that loan document.
Doesn't matter.
Reading isn't understanding.
I learned this the expensive way.
Twenty-eight years old, signing a car loan at 14% interest.
I read every line.
Every damn line.
Signed anyway.
Why? Because I was taught to read, not to question.
Nobody asked "who set this rate?" or "why does the dealership want me financed here so badly?"
Reading is obedience at speed.
Questioning is thinking.
So here's what I do now —
I read it once.
Then I read it asking one question: who benefits from me saying yes?
Try it on your next contract, your next news article, your next piece of "advice" from a financial guru.
Half of it falls apart.
That's the point.
George Carlin said “don't just teach kids to read, teach them to question what they read.”
He was right. And he'd probably add: especially the stuff about money.
I keep coming back to "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel for this exact reason.
It doesn't tell you what to think about money.
It shows you how most of what you believe was handed to you. Rare combination.
Question everything.
Especially what sounds like good advice.
