A Kalamazoo County resident emptied his 401(k), IRA and bank accounts after a laptop pop-up led to a call with someone claiming to be an IRS agent. The scammer convinced him to transfer $1.05 million to a fake 'Federal IRS locker' to protect his assets from the 'black web'.
Small business owners ignored December financials until February, then made decisions based on bank balances instead. Sound familiar? When 78% of non-employers pull under $50K annually and profitability turned negative in late 2025, unread P&Ls aren't just an annoyance. They're a business risk.
Financial therapists report clients with tens of millions who believe they're poor, and retirees terrified to spend despite solid balance sheets. It's not about the numbers. It's about perception disconnected from reality.