Walk into a grocery store today and you’ll see it. One person is scanning a digital coupon to save forty cents on a loaf of bread while the person behind them is paying with a titanium credit card that offers more travel points than they’ll ever use. It’s stark. The gap between the have and have nots isn't just about who has a bigger house anymore; it's about who has access to the invisible systems that build wealth. We're living in a weird, bifurcated reality where the middle class is basically a ghost and everyone is being pushed into two very different lanes.
Honestly, the term "have and have nots" feels like a relic from a Dickens novel, but it’s more relevant now than it was five years ago.
Money is moving differently. In the 1950s, the "haves" were defined by a steady factory job and a pension. Today, being part of the "haves" usually means you own assets—stocks, real estate, or intellectual property—that grow while you sleep. If you’re a "have not," you’re likely trading time for money, and that's a losing game when inflation is eating your lunch. According to data from the Federal Reserve, the top 10% of U.S. households now hold about 67% of the total wealth. That’s not a gap. It’s a canyon.
The Have and Have Nots in the Digital Age
Wealth used to be physical. It was land. It was gold. Now, the have and have nots are often separated by their "digital literacy" and access to early-stage technology. Think about the people who bought into the S&P 500 during the 2009 lows or those who understood the shift toward remote-work software before 2020.
They didn't just work harder. They had the margin to take risks.
If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you can't "buy the dip." You're just trying to buy eggs. This creates a compounding effect where the "haves" get to participate in the growth of the global economy, and the "have nots" are stuck paying the fees that fund the "haves'" rewards programs. It’s a cycle that’s hard to break because it’s baked into how our banking works.
Take the "Poverty Premium." It's a real thing. It’s the idea that being poor is actually more expensive than being rich. If you can’t afford a $500 car repair, you might lose your job. If you lose your job, you can’t pay your phone bill. If your phone gets cut off, you can’t find a new job. Meanwhile, someone with a high credit score and a cash cushion gets offered 0% APR financing on a new car. One person pays $5,000 in interest; the other pays zero.
The Education Myth and the Real Gatekeepers
We were told for decades that a college degree was the great equalizer. That’s mostly a half-truth now. While a degree still generally leads to higher lifetime earnings, the debt required to get that degree has created a new class of have and have nots.
Imagine two people graduated from the same university with the same degree. Person A has $80,000 in student loans. Person B had their tuition covered by family. Ten years later, Person B has a down payment for a house because they weren't sending $800 a month to the government. Person A is still renting. That house Person B bought? It appreciated by $150,000. Now Person B is a "have," and Person A is still running on the treadmill.
It’s not just about the sheepskin on the wall. It’s about the network. The "haves" usually have "social capital." They know who to call for an internship. They know how to negotiate a salary because their parents did it. If you’re the first in your family to go to college, you’re often flying blind. You don’t know what you don’t know.
Why Real Estate is the Ultimate Divider
Look at the housing market. It's the primary engine of the have and have nots dynamic in the 2020s.
If you bought a home before 2021, you likely have a mortgage rate around 3%. You’re sitting on a massive pile of equity. Your monthly housing cost is fixed, even as your salary (hopefully) goes up. You are a "have."
If you’re trying to buy today, you’re facing high prices and interest rates that make the monthly payment double what it would have been three years ago. You’re competing with institutional investors who pay in all cash. These companies—BlackRock often gets the blame, but it’s a whole ecosystem of private equity—are turning the "American Dream" into a subscription service.
When neighborhoods become "renter-only," the wealth-building ladder is kicked away. The money that used to stay in a community as equity now flows to a corporate headquarters in another state.
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The Health Gap is Getting Scarier
We don't talk enough about how the have and have nots divide shows up in our bodies.
It's not just about "organic kale" versus "fast food." It's about stress. Chronic cortisol—the stress hormone—literally breaks down your system. If you’re constantly worried about eviction, your body stays in "fight or flight" mode. This leads to higher rates of heart disease and diabetes.
Then there’s the access to "bio-hacking" and preventative care. The "haves" are using GLP-1 medications for weight loss, getting annual full-body MRI scans, and using wearable tech to track their sleep. They aren't just getting richer; they're potentially living longer, healthier lives than the "have nots" who wait six hours in an ER because they don't have a primary care doctor.
Actionable Steps to Bridge Your Own Gap
You can't fix the global economy by yourself, but you can change how you interact with the system. Moving from a "have not" mindset—or reality—to a "have" position requires a shift in where your energy goes.
1. Stop Trading Time for Pennies
If your only income is a W-2 salary, you are vulnerable. Start a side project that creates an asset. This could be a small YouTube channel, an Etsy shop, or just a high-yield savings account (HYSA). You need something that earns money while you aren't physically working. Even if it's $5 a month, it's a start.
2. Aggressively Protect Your Credit Score
In our system, your credit score is your reputation. A high score gives you access to cheap money. Use that cheap money to buy things that appreciate (like a home or a business), not things that depreciate (like a new TV).
3. Focus on "High-Value" Skills
The world doesn't pay for "hard work" anymore; it pays for "rare skills." Learning how to manage AI prompts, understanding specialized legal code, or mastering high-end plumbing will put you in a higher bracket than general labor ever will.
4. Build Your Social Capital
The "haves" talk to each other. Join professional groups, go to meetups, and find mentors. Most jobs and investment opportunities aren't posted on public boards; they happen through "loose ties"—people you know but aren't necessarily close with.
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The divide between the have and have nots is widening, but it's not a stone wall. It's more like a moving train. It’s harder to jump on the faster it goes, but it’s not impossible. You have to be intentional about what you own, who you know, and how you protect your health. If you don't own your future, someone else will rent it back to you.
The most important thing to realize is that the "system" isn't designed to help you cross the line. It's designed to keep the "haves" comfortable and the "have nots" productive. Breaking that cycle requires doing things that feel uncomfortable, like investing when you're scared or networking when you're tired. But the alternative is staying on the treadmill forever.