How to Money · Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Aja Evans highlights the trap of purchasing 'wealth signifiers' solely for external validation, emphasizing the need to examine self-esteem and the underlying reasons for such purchases. She advises assessing whether these purchases truly align with personal values or are an attempt to attract others.
“So I always say that we need to really do the hard work of being honest with ourselves and how we feel about ourselves and looking at our self esteem. While we're in the process of creating financial priorities. So if you find that you are purchasing a bunch of wealth signifiers to show everybody that you're making it, who was that for and how come? And let's dive into what you really believe about yourself that you need that.”
“And I think the second step after you are kind of taking the time to look at like, hey, who is this for, then you can ask yourself, Okay, does this line with my values? And I want to like put the disclaimer in that I am not telling people don't have the fancy dinner, don't get the fancy car, do that, but make sure one that you can afford it, and two that it's really for you and not so that other people are looking at you and deciding that you are this type of person. And you can fill in the blank there, Yeah.”