How to Money · Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Historian Joseph Moore argues that Americans may be living through the greatest era of prosperity in history, contrary to a common nostalgic view of the past. He suggests that while we often look back with idealized notions, current living standards and wealth levels for the median American surpass those of previous generations by a significant margin.
“But what if a poor understanding of history does something else too, leaving us less grounded and giving us unrealistic expectations about how life used to be. It's time for a history lesson today. But not just for the sake of memorizing names, dates and events, not trying to take you back to middle school in those rough classes you had to endure, but drawing on American history, Doctor Joseph Moore argues that while we're constantly looking back with nostalgia at the good old days, we may actually be living through the greatest era of prosperity in American history.”
“It is nearly impossible to wrap your mind around how much richer you are than your grandparents, much less your great great grandparents, Like it really is trying to explain to Americans how wealthy you are and the society you live in is, and not just Jeff Bezos on his super yacht, Like, just let him sail off on the super yacht. You're still wealthier. The median American and the average American are wealthier than your great grandparents could have dreamed you would ever be.”
“And I want you to know how much smaller our problems are compared to what they used to be.”