Make It Make Sense: Record Profits While We're Struggling

Ever wonder why corporations keep posting record-breaking profits while we're all struggling to afford groceries, gas, and rent? In this episode, I'm breaking down why the Federal Reserve just raised interest rates to 3.75%-4%, what their "dual mandate" actually means, and why bringing inflation down does NOT mean prices are coming down—it just slows down how fast they keep rising. Then I go on a full rant about corporate greed and "greedflation"—how big businesses used COVID, tariffs, and supply chain chaos as cover to jack up prices way more than necessary, backed by a 2024 FTC investigation that confirmed it. I'm also talking about shrinkflation and crappy product quality, why we're being distracted with individual actions (like paper straws) while corporations do the real damage, and why the backlash against creators like Janice from Yo Quiero Dinero for using AI to help their communities is misplaced anger. Chapter Markers: 00:00 Why are corporations profiting while we struggle? 02:52 Why the Fed raised interest rates 04:37 What is the Federal Reserve and the dual mandate 05:47 How the federal funds rate works 07:10 How raising rates is supposed to reduce inflation 09:00 Why lower inflation doesn't mean lower prices 11:08 How corporate greed and tariffs made things worse 14:18 What happened during COVID with corporate price gouging 16:52 The 2024 FTC investigation into grocery supply chains 18:00 Corporations raising prices while cutting product quality 22:02 Misplaced anger: AI, Janice from Yo Quiero Dinero, and ethics 24:43 Why we fund these same corporations through our 401ks 27:00 Why financial literacy and collective power matter more than protesting alone If this episode resonated with you, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to understand what's really driving the cost of living right now. Mentioned in this episode: Full breakdown and references on the blog: https://moneychisme.com/the-feds-rais... Ashley with an I (TikTok): https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTymcJfND/ The Financial Diet episode on product quality:    • Which Clothing Brands Are Actually Worth T...   Janice from Yo Quiero Dinero's AI agents & crowdfunding campaign: https://www.crowdfunder.com/p/qr/qW8Y... "Invest Like a Mother" episode with Tina Berger:    • Investing Like a Mother: Ethical Wealth wi...   Free Latinas in Real Estate Community: https://www.skool.com/real-estate-jef... Start your financial journey: Free Budget Template: https://moneychisme.kit.com/moneyplan... Get more tips in my Newsletter! https://moneychisme.kit.com/4cf43901b1 Follow me on Social Media! Tiktok: Moneychisme IG:   / money_chisme   Support the channel: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/moneychisme //ABOUT ME Hola, I'm Violeta! I am a first generation Mexican immigrant who is on a financial freedom journey through real estate investing, stocks and entrepreneurship. I started my youtube channel to help my fellow peeps in pursuing financial freedom by teaching financial literacy and sharing my experiences. I am the writer of the MoneyChisme blog, a small e-commerce business owner, and real estate investor. *This Link is an affiliate link and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. This helps me provide you with free content, tools and resources!