Wealth should make emergencies smaller, not ego larger.

Money’s best use is absorbing shocks. A car that breaks becomes an inconvenience rather than a catastrophe, an illness becomes a difficulty rather than a ruin. Spent on self-image instead, it makes emergencies no smaller and leaves you needing to keep earning at the same rate forever.

Before upgrading anything, ask whether your buffer would handle three months of nothing coming in. Fill that first. It is the least visible purchase and the one that changes the most.