You did everything right. So why does it still feel like you're falling behind?

You worked hard.

You got the qualifications.

You saved money.

You stayed responsible.

You followed the rules.

Yet somehow the security you were promised feels further away than ever.

You Were Taught to Be Poor is not a traditional personal finance book.

It won't tell you which stocks to buy.

It won't give you ten steps to wealth.

And it won't promise overnight success.

Instead, it explores a far more uncomfortable question:

What if many of the financial rules we were taught were designed for a world that no longer exists?

Through personal stories, behavioural insights, and clear explanations, Rob Adesanya examines some of the most deeply held beliefs about money, work, risk, home ownership, pensions, saving, and financial security.

Inside you'll discover:

• Why hard work and wealth are not the same thing • How "safe" decisions can quietly increase risk • Why many responsible people feel trapped despite doing everything right • The hidden difference between income and control • Why optionality may matter more than certainty • How to recognise the invisible assumptions shaping your financial life

This is not a book about getting rich.

It is a book about seeing clearly.

Because once you understand how modern systems reward effort, allocate risk, and concentrate control, you stop blaming yourself for outcomes that were never entirely under your control.

Thoughtful, practical, and deeply human, You Were Taught to Be Poor challenges conventional wisdom and offers a new way to think about money, freedom, and the choices that shape a life.

You won't finish this book with all the answers.

You'll finish it with better questions.