---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was shocking to realize how many…"
description: "\"It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans don't have savings accounts.\" — Dan Ariely"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png"
---

#  It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans…

![“It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans don't have savings accounts.” quote by Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png)

> “It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans don't have savings accounts.”

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many low‑income Americans lack savings accounts, highlighting systemic financial exclusion.

**In simple terms:** Low‑income people often have no savings.

Key Takeaway

Address financial access gaps.

Themes

economics inequality financial literacy

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

policy research

When to use this quote

- banking outreach
- micro‑savings programs
- financial education workshops

Key Concepts

behavioral economics policy design

Questions to Reflect On

- What barriers stop people from opening accounts?
- How can trust be built in financial institutions?

A Different Perspective

Cultural distrust of banks may persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Low income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-income/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Savings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savings/) [Savings account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savings-account/)

## Related quotes

> [We designed both our state employee health plans and the one we created for low-income Hoosiers as Health Savings Accounts, and now in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-daniels/we-designed-both-our-state-employee-health-plans-and-the-one-we/)

[Mitch Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-daniels/)

> [When you get a checking account, you should have a savings account, and the number for the savings account should be one off of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/when-you-get-a-checking-account-you-should-have-a-savings-account-and/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [When parents have college savings accounts for their kids, their kids show higher social and cognitive performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/when-parents-have-college-savings-accounts-for-their-kids-their-kids/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [With money we really fool ourselves. We are our biggest enemies with money and there are some things we can do about it. Automatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/with-money-we-really-fool-ourselves-we-are-our-biggest-enemies-with/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [What Steve Jobs and I did-and at the same time Bill Gates and Paul Allen did-we had no savings accounts, no friends that could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/what-steve-jobs-and-i-did-and-at-the-same-time-bill-gates-and-paul/)

[Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/)

> [My plan includes Dependent Care Savings Accounts to encourage savings and help families meet their needs for caring for both children and elders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-plan-includes-dependent-care-savings-accounts-to-encourage-savings/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [Who's going to manage (health savings accounts)?. It's not going to be your local accountant, it's going to be Fidelity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/who-s-going-to-manage-health-savings-accounts-it-s-not-going-to-be/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [ What we have now - a world without \[marine\] reserves - is like a debit account where we withdraw all the time and we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enric-sala/what-we-have-now-a-world-without-marine-reserves-is-like-a-debit/)

[Enric Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enric-sala/)

> [I had no money. I had no savings account.So I would bring down my color TV set, a Sears TV with a cable snaked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/i-had-no-money-i-had-no-savings-account-so-i-would-bring-down-my/)

[Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/)

> [The idea of strengthening health savings accounts... that bolsters the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scalise/the-idea-of-strengthening-health-savings-accounts-that-bolsters-the/)

[Steve Scalise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scalise/)

> [Im 36, but I still feel like a punk kid with $200 in my savings account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aoki/im-36-but-i-still-feel-like-a-punk-kid-with-200-in-my-savings-account/)

[Steve Aoki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aoki/)

> [I've been working since I was 14, and my father, being very conservative, has always been strict about my having a savings account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-ve-been-working-since-i-was-14-and-my-father-being-very/)

[Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/)

> [The people have an incentive to spend wisely. So the health care savings accounts are such a good thing. It's such a good idea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-people-have-an-incentive-to-spend-wisely-so-the-health-care/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [President Roosevelt, the author of Social Security, was the first to suggest that, in order to provide for the country's retirement needs, Social Security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doolittle/president-roosevelt-the-author-of-social-security-was-the-first-to/)

[John Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doolittle/)

> [Don't hold against me that I don't own - that I don't own a single stock or bond. Don't hold it - I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/don-t-hold-against-me-that-i-don-t-own-that-i-don-t-own-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

## More by Dan Ariely

> [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [ “\[..\] we human beings are ready and willing to steal something that does not explicitly reference monetary value - that is, something that lacks… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/we-human-beings-are-ready-and-willing-to-steal-something-that-does/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“Contrafreeloading,” a term coined by the animal psychologist Glen Jensen, refers to the finding that many animals prefer to earn food rather than simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/contrafreeloading-a-term-coined-by-the-animal-psychologist-glen/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [One of the big lessons from behavioral economics is that we make decisions as a function of the environment that we're in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/one-of-the-big-lessons-from-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-make/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Not all debt is bad. From time to time we should get into debt when there's a good reason for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/not-all-debt-is-bad-from-time-to-time-we-should-get-into-debt-when/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“This result suggests that cheating is not driven by concerns about standing out. Rather, it shows that our sense of our own morality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/this-result-suggests-that-cheating-is-not-driven-by-concerns-about/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“ONE OF THE main differences between standard and behavioral economics involves this concept of “free lunches.” According to the assumptions of standard economics, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/one-of-the-main-differences-between-standard-and-behavioral-economics/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Money is all about opportunity cost. Every time you spend on something, that's something you can't spend on something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/money-is-all-about-opportunity-cost-every-time-you-spend-on-something/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [The people that lend you money basically give you an answer based on the risk that they are willing to take. But just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/the-people-that-lend-you-money-basically-give-you-an-answer-based-on/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“Upton Sinclair once noted, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/upton-sinclair-once-noted-it-is-difficult-to-get-a-man-to-understand/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [If you get people to feel that they are putting something, that they are creating it and so on, their love for the project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-get-people-to-feel-that-they-are-putting-something-that-they/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [If I gave you now, $10 as a gift, how happy would you be? Would you be happy, is the marginal $10, the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-i-gave-you-now-10-as-a-gift-how-happy-would-you-be-would-you-be/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Imagine you have six loans, small to huge. People want to close loans and because of that, they try to pay off the small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/imagine-you-have-six-loans-small-to-huge-people-want-to-close-loans/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“he started by selling his Porsche Boxster and buying a Toyota Prius in its place.4 “I don’t want to live the life of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/he-started-by-selling-his-porsche-boxster-and-buying-a-toyota-prius/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

[Explore all 198 Dan Ariely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans don't have savings accounts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Ariely"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low-income-americans-don-t-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low-income-americans-don-t-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/dan-ariely-1899_accounts_it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low_2902429.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was shocking to realize how many low-income Americans don't have savings accounts.” — Dan Ariely",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dan Ariely",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was shocking to realize how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low-income-americans-don-t-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-was-shocking-to-realize-how-many-low-income-americans-don-t-have/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
