Fighting Evolution to Grow Your Wealth

It happens every Monday morning. I’ve got the whole day planned down to the minute, starting with what time I want to wake up. Inevitably, when the time comes... Snooze. Nine minutes later. Snooze. My body is telling me, you’re tired, you need more rest, it’s easier to sleep in.

This is human nature at its finest. We focus on the present moment rather than the future. Case in point: me hitting the snooze button for the third time. The same instinct shows up in other places too.

You’re out with friends on a Saturday night. What harm can come from just one more drink? It sounds great in the moment, but the next morning your head hurts… and so does your wallet.

On their own, these behaviors aren’t a big deal. Sleeping in an extra ten minutes or nursing a mild headache the next day won’t derail your life (and luckily, I’ve mostly grown out of that phase).

But when it comes to investing, these behaviors are exactly the ones that quietly prevent us from growing our wealth.

Why Our Instincts Work Against Us

The hardest part about building wealth has nothing to do with intelligence or picking the right stock. It has far more to do with our evolution.

We are literally hard-wired against good investing. Our brains evolved for survival, not long-term financial decision-making.

For most of human history, we relied on traits that kept us alive:

• Focusing on the present moment

• Avoiding danger at all costs

• Seeking safety in numbers

• Acting quickly when something felt threatening

Ironically, these are the exact traits that make investing and long-term planning so difficult today.

We crave immediate gratification, and why wouldn’t we? It feels good, and historically, it helped us survive.

In behavioral finance, we call this present bias: the tendency to overvalue immediate rewards and undervalue long-term consequences.

It’s why:

• Saving feels restrictive

• Investing feels scary

• Doing nothing feels safer than taking action

In modern life, however, these behaviors are what keep us feeling stuck, anxious, and prone to poor financial decisions.

Based on human nature, we’d prefer to save as much as we can in our savings and emergency fund, and never invest our money for the future. This kept us feeling safe. It would have been crazy to invest in your 401(k) for the future and think about how our money is going to compound and grow for us in 20+ years.

This is why so many smart, capable people get stuck financially. Their wiring is fighting them every step of the way.

Run Towards Danger

The behaviors that feel good in the moment are often the ones that lead to poor investment outcomes.

• Selling when markets fall can feel like protection, but often means selling near a low and missing future gains.

• Keeping excess cash in your checking account feels safe, but quietly loses to inflation and misses the power of compounding.

Emotionally comforting. Financially damaging.

Paradoxically, the behaviors that feel uncomfortable in the moment are the ones that build wealth over time.

• Reduce security

  Setting up automated contributions might mean less money in your checking account which can feel less secure. However, that money is now working for you and growing.

• Run towards danger

  Buying when markets are down feels like running toward danger. Who swims toward a shark? Yet, this is one of the most sound and historically proven strategies for generating outsized returns.

• Stand out from the crowd

  Taking profits after a strong run-up is akin to standing out from the crowd. It is awkward and uncomfortable. But, as the saying goes:

  “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”

  
  

All of these are emotionally difficult. Financially sound.

In the real world, ignoring your instincts around danger is usually a bad idea.

In the realm of investing, it’s often exactly what’s required.

These behaviors don’t feel natural because they go directly against our evolution.

However, this is the path to building wealth.

Good Investing Rarely Feels Good

If investing always felt comfortable, everyone would have it figured out. Behavioral finance wouldn’t exist. Frankly, my job probably wouldn’t either.

Good investing often feels:

• Boring

• Counterintuitive

• Lonely

• Slightly uncomfortable

Bad investing, on the other hand, often feels relieving:

• “At least I did something.”

• “I’m not alone.”

• “I feel safer now.”

But markets don’t reward what feels good.

They reward consistency, patience, and the ability to act against instinct.

How To Combat Evolution

So how do we fight our natural instincts and become better investors?

It’s simple.

Structure.

You don’t overcome human nature with willpower.

You overcome it by building systems that make good decisions easier.

• Build security first (emergency funds, cash reserves)

• Automate contributions to investment accounts

• Create clear spending rules (for example: waiting 24 hours before purchases over a certain amount)

Structure creates freedom.

Without it, we’re constantly reacting.

With it, we feel a sense of ease.

Hit Snooze?

Just like hitting the snooze button, many financial decisions feel harmless in the moment but quietly work against long-term progress.

I don’t rely on willpower to avoid hitting snooze. I rely on structure. I set my phone far enough away that I have to physically get out of bed to turn it off. I make it intentionally difficult, going directly against my natural preference for ease. I dislike it in the moment, but I always thank myself later.

The same is true with investing. Going against your evolution can feel uncomfortable. It’s time to make it easy. Build systems that serve your future self and stop fighting your evolution to grow your wealth.

And maybe, just maybe, you can hit that snooze button once… or twice.