Pretty sure it's the latter. I doubt, for one example of many of his problems, he genuinely doesn't understand that people could not have parents to mooch off of and avoid having to take on debt to survive.

Seems he just likes giving his predominantly white Calvinist audience a reason to believe they're morally superior following his financial advice because it fits right with their belief they're God's chosen. His one-size-fits-all edicts are either laughably naive or (I'm betting on this one) pretty contemptuous of anyone in poverty.

Whether it's a grift or his true beliefs, I lean heavily toward "piece of shit".