I agree 100%; what can a layman like me do to fix it?

You’re not going to like my answer. I don’t like my answer. It’s never ending work.

Always vote, run for office if you can, and/or become and stay engaged as a citizen activist. See something? Report it to regulators. Think something’s up? Go digging. Engage with other folks who are doing the same and provide logistical support if able to.

I spend thousands of dollars a year on FOIA fees and attorney opinion and correspondence costs, but I have the means and the time. Overarching thesis is “Find someone to help and help them.” -DeviantOllam [1] of “Lawyer. Passport. Locksmith. Gun.” Saintcon talk fame [2].

[1] https://twitter.com/deviantollam

[2] https://youtu.be/6ihrGNGesfI

I think the answer I was expecting was that it's a two-step process: 1) Be lucky, and 2) Don't be unlucky. My next-door neighbor is actually a local politician, but her party affiliation is the one I dislike, so I'm getting a life-lesson in humility.

I’ve never been good at delivering bad news, my apologies.

I don't know if this is what you intend, but it sounds like you're baiting an answer about vigilante style "justice" to the executives/board members of these misbehaving corporations.

That would be counterproductive and probably only cause them to treat us with less empathy than they do already.

I'm not advocating for "vigilante justice" either, but if that's the clearest / first thought you have when someone authentically asks "what can I do," that's probably a problem :P

Vote: both with your actual vote, and with your money.

The big banks lost all my business years ago. It's occasionally inconvenient, but overall I'm very happy with the decision.

If possible, leave USA. There are political systems around the world that aren’t broken and there are some that are actually being fixed by voters (e.g. Australia). But USA is broken for at least our lifetimes.

You only live once.

The reason those other places around the world aren’t broken* is because people had the mentality of putting in hard work toward the future. If everyone shared what you thought and fled at a moment of hardship, the whole world would go to shit really fast.

*your opinion, not mine. I don’t think USA is that bad of a place and I don’t put Australia on a pedestal.

If this is true, who is going to fix it and where will they come from?

If this is not true, then ... well then you're just wrong.

I’m leaving for Western Europe, all of the tools I need for advocacy and accountability work just fine from over there (laptop and mobile device are all that is required). I’m unable to run for office, I am not an ideal candidate for various reasons. I want the country improved long term, but am unwilling to suffer in the short term because of, for lack of a better words, the malevolent and troglodytes. In the case of voting, you can’t persuade some people even with evidence and data. You might just have to wait for old people to age out (1.8 million voters over the age of 55 age out every year) and younger folks (open to new ideas and mental models) to come of age, before there are improved chances of success. If you have to wait somewhere, don’t wait here if you don’t have to (life lesson: never suffer needlessly).

(I also contribute time to helping anyone wanting to expat out of the US get to higher quality jurisdictions, Europe, Australia, etc)

I grew up in Western Europe. I intend to die in the US.

Enjoy (genuinely). I don’t know where I’ll die, I just know where I don’t want to live. Everything is temporary, and I don’t have much hope near term here.

I don’t anticipate taking advantage of the advice, but can you share any references on navigating such a long term move to Europe? I’ve been told Portugal is a good starting point.

https://youtube.com/@OurRichJourney (Specially the videos about Portugal, not general investing advice videos)

https://old.reddit.com/r/expatFIRE (search for “Portugal D7 visa”)

What's your opinion on Canada jurisdiction ?

Solid jurisdiction to consider but too cold for my tastes and parts are expensive. If you can afford Vancouver or Toronto, or don’t mind living in Calgary or Montreal (one of my favorite places on Earth when warm, also the safest city in North America) instead, it’s a fine place to expat to while remaining close to US soil.

I think the real lesson, rather than "leave the USA", is "have a close-knit support structure".

The CFPB is so good. It's one of a small number of federal agencies that actually has teeth. I went 30 rounds with PNC after they devoured what was left of Simple before someone suggested filing a CFPB complaint. Basically, I received some mail for the account despite being assured it was closed before the Simple closure.

I asked for a letter stating in no uncertain terms that the account was closed and that I wouldn't be liable for anything if they screwed up. They bombarded me with emails and calls for a week trying to avoid working through the CFPB before finally answering the complaint with what I asked for. I was adamant that it happen with the CFPB so their statement would be on file. Now the PDF is there if the bank gives me any trouble.

People report similar success filing FCC complaints to get action from phone companies and ISPs that otherwise ignore them.

> The CFPB is so good. It's one of a small number of federal agencies that actually has teeth.

Naturally, the GOP has been trying to gut it for years.