Yeah, it's true that some folks wouldn't have a hard time rattling off their budget, emergency fund and other areas of their finances, but that doesn't mean everyone can, because I'd bet that a lot of people wouldn't have a single clue as many folks out there are only trying pretty hard just to make it to the next paycheck without having to overdraft.
I am painting the scenario of an hour or two discussion, but yeah, they might have to access some of their documents and maybe they might need help to write them all out, while at the same time, as long as they know basic math and common sense, I am presuming that most of them (like 80%, should be able calculate out if they have discretionary income and/or more income than expenses), and yeah, maybe they cannot do it without some coaxing, but they surely are capable of going through those kinds of basic maths and common sense processing of logic.. which means that that they are capable of learning and capable of figuring out whether they have $100, $10 or some other amount of discretionary income within this particular week). It is like an ability of someone who is feeling a craving to smoke some cigarettes or they have a friend that would like cigarettes as a gift, and within a short period of time, they can figure out the extent to which they have $10 to buy the cigarettes or not..... just meaning that the cigarettes are not a necessary expense but an extra optional expense.
Yeah, figuring out whether one have discretionary income isn't actually rocket science, and you're not also wrong for pointing out that with a little bit of guidance and of course some basic maths skills, figuring out one's discretionary income shouldn't be much of a big deal. If someone can be able to calculate whether they can actually afford a pack of cigarettes or not, then they can pretty much figure out their discretionary income, it's just simple arithmetic and common sense, even if some folks are actually retards, and needs others to help them calculate their expenses every single time, it still doesn't change the fact that anyone can actually do it.
As long as folks can learn to prioritize needs over wants, and of course also have a clear picture of our finances, then learning to track one's expenses and income, and of course making more informed decisions about their finances should be a piece of cake. And with a little bit of support, folks shouldn't also have a problem developing their skills and of course confidence to effectively manage their finances.
And it's important to note that this is really not about being a financial expert or having some sort of degree in economics, It's more about knowing how/when to add and subtract and most importantly, knowing how to make better decisions when it comes to income allocation. I believe it's also possible for folks to achieve all these on their own, when given the right tools or maybe by also getting a little support from others, either ways, it's more than possible for folks to learn to do this and of course, make progress as they advance towards achieving their financial goals.
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I agree with you that most people probably suck quite a bit when it comes to their own cashflow management, and maybe even more than 50% of people are not very good at cashflow management, yet you don't need to be good at cashflow management in order to get started buying bitcoin. All you need is to figure out if you have discretionary income or not... which I am proclaiming around 80% of people are capable of figuring that out, and if they cannot figure it out or they calculate that they do not have discretionary income, then they cannot start buying bitcoin until they figure out that they do have discretionary income/funds.
It is likely 80% of people can learn how to manage their cashflows based on common sense, math skills and/or their ability to learn and prioritize within their own interests. Sure a lot of folks don't do it, but I am still presuming they are capable even if they have other priorities...and an overwhelming majority.. perhaps 99% or more (based on our already existing low levels of bitcoin adoption) do not prioritize bitcoin investing, which is another reason to show why we are so early in bitcoin, since there are quite great opportunities for anyone recognizing and acting upon the asymmetric status of the information about bitcoin.
We likely can agree to disagree in regards to our presumption of the basic knowledge of normies and/or their ability to learn cashflow management and bitcoin investing within their discretionary income.
It's also quite agreeable that there are a lot of folks out there who might not prioritize Bitcoin investing, but for those who actually does, it becomes a pretty great opportunity for them because they're the ones who can actually recognize Bitcoin's true potential. And just like you pointed out, Bitcoin is still relatively a new technology and we are also early in the adoption circle, and there is a lot of room for growth and more education and discoveries in the long.
I'd also like to believe that it's not just about managing one's cash flow but also about understanding the basics of investing and risk management, and even if I agree that these skills could be learned, improved and even perfected as they advance and of course, with the proper guidance and resources, I believe it's important that folks should at least have a clue that they'll be needing some of these things and as well as to know that it's also quite essential to every investor.
Another thing I'd also like to add to this is that, it's really not about the individual's current knowledge or skill, but also pretty much about education and of course accessibility. I believe if more people are able to see that Bitcoin is more accessible and also that educational resources are also widespread, they'd be more enthusiastic to get involved because learning to manage their finances and investment wouldnt have to be much of a big deal.