Let’s talk about privilege. And before you roll your eyes or click away because you think this is another guilt-trip lecture about how you’re a terrible person… stop. This isn’t that.
This is about recognising the invisible advantages you have, however small, and weaponising them to actually get ahead in life instead of pretending they don’t exist.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: You have privilege. Yes, you. And I do too. We all have something, and the people who succeed aren’t the ones who deny it or feel bad about it. They’re the ones who spot it, own it, and strategically exploit the hell out of it.
The Privilege Paradox: Why We’re So Bad at Spotting Our Own
Why? Because privilege is invisible when you’re living it.
It’s like asking a fish to describe water. If you’ve always had something, you don’t notice it’s there.
Common examples of privilege young people miss:
- Geographic privilege: You grew up in a safe area with decent schools. Seems normal to you. For someone from a deprived postcode, that’s a lottery win.
- Health privilege: You don’t have a chronic illness or disability limiting your work options. You take it for granted. Others can’t.
- Family privilege: Your parents didn’t kick you out at 18. Even if you’re financially independent, having a safety net at all is huge.
- Educational privilege: You finished school without caring responsibilities. You could focus on your GCSEs instead of looking after younger siblings.
None of these make you a bad person. But denying them makes you financially naive.
The Math: How Privilege Compounds Wealth
Let’s take two 22-year-olds, both earning £30,000 per year in London.
| Factor | Person A (More Privilege) | Person B (Less Privilege) | Financial Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Can live with parents for 2 years, save £800/month | Must rent immediately, £800/month on room | £19,200 saved |
| University Debt | Parents paid tuition, no loans | £45,000 student loan debt at 7.6% interest | ~£65,000 over lifetime |
| Health | No chronic conditions | Diabetes, extra costs ~£60/month | £720+ saved per year |
| Network | Parents have professional connections, lands first job via referral | Cold applies to 150+ jobs before landing one | 3-6 months extra earnings |
| Emergency Fund | Parents can bail them out in crisis | One car issue = debt spiral | Priceless stress reduction |
After just 2 years, Person A is roughly £20,000+ ahead in wealth accumulation through no individual merit, just privilege. Over a decade? That gap becomes generational wealth.
The Controversial Takeaway: Your starting advantages matter more than hustle culture wants you to believe. Anyone telling you otherwise is either lying or selling you a course.
The “But I Don’t Have Real Privilege” Trap
I can hear you now: “Yeah, but I’m not posh. My family’s broke. I went to a state school. I’ve got nothing.”
Wrong.
Privilege isn’t binary. It’s not “you’re either rich or you’re not.” It’s a spectrum, and you’re somewhere on it. The question is: where, and what can you leverage?
The Privilege Audit: Find Your Hidden Advantages
Take 5 minutes. Seriously. Grab your phone notes and answer these:
1. Housing Stability
- Can you live with family rent-free if needed? (Even short-term = privilege)
- Do you have a permanent address for job applications?
2. Education & Skills
- Did you finish secondary school without major disruptions?
- Can you read, write, and communicate clearly in English? (This alone puts you ahead of 7.1 million UK adults with low literacy)
- Do you have access to the internet at home?
3. Health & Ability
- Can you work full-time without physical limitations?
- Do you have decent mental health (or access to support)?
4. Social Capital
- Do you know anyone with a “professional” job who could give advice or a reference?
- Have you ever had an internship or work experience? (Unpaid internships = class privilege, but if you did one, use it)
5. Identity
- Can you work legally in the UK without visa restrictions?
- Do you have any family help at all?
If you answered “yes” to even three of these, you have actionable privilege. Now let’s use it.
How to Actually Leverage Your Privilege (Without Being a Knob)
1. If You Can Live at Home: Abuse This Advantage Ruthlessly
I don’t care if your mates are getting flats in trendy areas. If your family will let you stay rent-free or cheap, do it. I personally did it throughout my *cough*… unsuccessful time at university… and it allowed me to save thousands.
Actionable Takeaway: Stay home for 18-24 months. Save that £600-£1,000/month you’d spend on rent. That’s up to £24,000 toward a house deposit, emergency fund, or investments. You’ll leapfrog your peers who are paying a landlord’s mortgage.
2. If You Have a Network: Mine It Shamelessly
That friend’s dad who works in finance? Ask for a coffee chat. Your auntie’s partner who’s a manager somewhere? Request CV advice. That former teacher who liked you? LinkedIn message them.
“But that’s unfair!” Yeah. It is. And it’s also how 50% of jobs are filled – through referrals, not job boards.
Actionable Takeaway: Make a list of every adult you know with a “career” job. Message 5 of them this week asking for 15 minutes of advice. One conversation can send you in a wayyyy better direction.
3. If You’re Healthy: Work Like You’ve Got a Deadline (Because You Do)
Your body and mind are at peak earning potential right now. No kids, fewer health issues, more energy. This is your window.
Actionable Takeaway: If you can work extra hours, pick up a side hustle, or retrain without your health collapsing, do it now. Your 40-year-old self with a dodgy back and childcare costs will thank you.
4. If You Speak “Standard” English: Use It Strategically
Code-switching isn’t selling out. It’s playing the game. If you can toggle between your natural accent/slang and a more “professional” tone for interviews and emails, you’ve got a privilege others have to fight harder against.
Actionable Takeaway: Record yourself doing a practice interview. Does your phone voice sound different to your pub voice? Good. That’s a tool. Use it.
5. If Your Parents Are Solvent: Talk About Money With Them
Even if they’re not wealthy, if they’re not in debt crisis, they’ve learned something. Ask how they budget. Ask about their mistakes. Ask if they can help with a rental deposit or be a loan guarantor.
Actionable Takeaway: Have “the awkward money conversation” with your parents this month. You might be surprised what they’re willing to help with, or what they wish they’d known at your age.
The Privilege Guilt Trap: Why Feeling Bad Is Useless
Here’s where people get stuck. They recognise their privilege, feel guilty about it, and then… do nothing. Or worse, they downplay their achievements because they feel like frauds.
Stop it.
Guilt is the most pointless emotion in personal finance. It doesn’t help you. It doesn’t help people with less privilege. It’s just performative self-flagellation.
What does help? Using your advantages to build wealth, then actually helping others climb up behind you. Mentor someone. Refer someone for a job. Share resources. But first, you need to be stable enough to do that.
The Reality Check: Privilege Doesn’t Guarantee Success (But It Helps)
Let me be crystal clear: Having privilege doesn’t mean life is easy, your problems aren’t real, or you don’t work hard.
It means you’ve got a head start. Maybe 10 meters, maybe 100 meters. But it’s a marathon, and denying you started ahead doesn’t make the race fair – it just makes you oblivious.
Recent data from the Social Mobility Commission shows that even among graduates with identical degrees from the same university, those from professional backgrounds earn 10% more on average within 5 years. That’s privilege compounding.
But here’s the flip side: Privilege alone won’t save you from bad financial decisions. Plenty of people with every advantage still end up broke because they never learned to leverage what they had.
Your Single, Non-Negotiable Action This Week
Do the privilege audit. Write down your advantages. Pick one and create an action plan to exploit it in the next 30 days.
- Living at home? Set up a standing order to move that “rent money” into a savings account instead.
- Got a network? Send those 5 messages asking for advice.
- Healthy and able? Research that side hustle or career switch you’ve been putting off.
Stop pretending you don’t have advantages. Start using them before life, inflation, or bad luck eats away at them.
Because privilege unused is privilege wasted. And you can’t help anyone from the bottom of the ladder.
Over to You
What privilege do you have that you’ve been overlooking? Or what advantage did you finally recognise and use to get ahead?
