One of the most common “detective” jobs I do for my clients is auditing their Apple ID “Subscriptions” list.

For example, I sat down with a client in Larkspur and we’ll discovered that she was paying $3.99 a month for an app she NEVER USED!

To a generation raised on the “buy it once, own it forever” philosophy, the modern “Subscription Economy” feels like a form of financial gaslighting.

In the old world, you bought a shovel, and you owned a shovel.

In the digital world, you “rent” the ability to see your own photos or use your own Microsoft Word program.

The struggle here is twofold: visibility and perpetuity.

Because these charges are digital and often automated, they are “invisible” until a credit card statement arrives.

For a senior on a fixed income, these “micro budget leaks” add up.

Furthermore, the process of canceling a subscription is often intentionally designed to be a labyrinth.

Sometimes it’s buried under “Settings,” then “Your Name,” then “Subscriptions,” and then a series of “Are you sure?” prompts.

I teach my clients that they are the masters of their digital domain, but the subscription model makes them feel like perpetual tenants.

We talk about “Digital Minimalism”; learning to say no to the “free trial” that turns into a monthly bill.

The goal is to move from a state of being “nibbled to death” by digital fees back to a state of financial clarity.

You should own your tech; your tech shouldn’t own a piece of your bank account every month.