Vivian Tu, better known online as the host of Your Rich BFF, recently offered one of her most pointed takes on why not investing is a financial decision with real costs.
Her case starts with corporate law. “If you are a publicly traded company, the only thing that you are legally obligated to do is make money for your shareholders — is to increase that stock price,” Tu said in a recent episode of her show.
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“And if you are not participating in the growth of those companies, if you’re not participating in the ownership of those companies, realistically those companies are screwing you over,” she argues, adding that you’d get worse service and products, while those with ownership in the companies benefit.
She pointed to the “enshitification of everything” — a deterioration in product quality and increase in product quantity, driven by companies optimizing for shareholder returns instead of consumer satisfaction.
“Back in the day, they made products to last. Like, your grandparents had their fridge for their entire marriage of 50 years. Whereas now, you got to get a new cell phone every two years,” Tu observed. Her conclusion: invest, or get left behind.
Why not investing costs you
For viewers afraid to start, Tu reframes the risk calculation: “It is actually costing you money not to invest,” she said. Non-owners, she added, get worse products and worse service while shareholders benefit — even from a small stake. “Investing is the only way for your money to keep up with the pace of life, with the cost of living.”
Tu also addressed why the stock market can keep rising even when most people feel financially squeezed.
“93% of the stock market is owned by 10% of people. The stock market is not how the economy is doing. It’s how rich people’s money is doing,” she noted, adding that the top 10% of people account for half of all spending — which is why markets can remain bullish even as the middle class feels the pinch.
That concentration shows up in the data. According to Gallup, while 62% of Americans overall own stock, ownership among households earning under $50,000 stands at just 28% — compared to 87% of those earning $100,000 or more. The gap is similarly stark by race: 70% of white adults own stock, versus 53% of Black adults and 38% of Hispanic adults.
