An Uncomfortable Reality
I hesitated to make this video. I don’t want to sound alarmist or like I am trying to scare people.
I’ve seen multiple market cycles over the years. But what I believe is approaching now is very different from anything we’ve seen before.
For the average American, what’s coming could be blindsiding, in my opinion. To some degree, it’s already here.
This isn’t political. It’s not left versus right. In fact, no politician can undo what has already been set in motion. This is about an imminent, fundamental economic reality that could reshape our society.
A Wealth Transfer Already in Motion
In essence, this is a wealth transfer on an unprecedented level, along with the elimination of possibly millions of jobs. This change is approaching like a fast-moving locomotive. It will affect the middle class as well as lower-income workers, not just in the United States, but across the world.
I don’t like using scare tactics. I’ve spent most of my life learning how to accept and be with what is, both in my own life and in the world. In my opinion, neither you nor I can change what’s coming. But we can prepare for it. We can put structures in place so we’re not caught off guard.
Self-storage is one option, but it’s not the only one. And even self-storage will be affected by what’s moving toward us, faster than anything we’ve ever seen.
Following the Money, Not the Noise
Much of what I’m sharing comes from Louie Navellier, a Wall Street investor I follow closely, as well as my own research. Louie and I have very different political views, but he is a master of the markets, and I take what he says very seriously. What I have learned is not to turn to the news silos for information or listen to the talking heads. I follow the money.
Political polarization is deepening. Most Americans sense that something fundamental is changing, but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is.
Why are groceries so expensive? Why is housing so expensive? Depending on which news silo we’re in, we get quick, simple answers. But I suggest something more fundamental and systemic is happening.
We blame the other side, the system, or “them.” But I believe this is being driven by a hidden catalyst that is fundamentally reshaping how our society will function.
The Real Source of American Wealth
However, I think for the first time in American history, the very source of our economic strength is changing, and we are not going back.
Think about what made America the wealthiest society in history. It wasn’t just natural resources, though we have plenty. It wasn’t military power, though we have that too. It wasn’t even the free-market system alone.
America’s true wealth has always come from something far more valuable: human knowledge.
Every major innovation in science, industry, and economics came from intellectual capital. That has been the bedrock of American prosperity. Every great fortune, every technological breakthrough, every economic expansion ultimately rested on human knowledge. You could lose everything and rebuild if you had that resource.
The Rapid Depreciation of Knowledge
Now we are facing something entirely different.
What once took a lifetime to build can now be replicated in seconds. Human knowledge, once our greatest asset, is rapidly becoming our fastest-depreciating resource.
Yes, I’m talking about AI. But I don’t want you thinking about how you personally use ChatGPT. I’m talking about something far more fundamental.
Louie Navellier recently described being in a board meeting where executives at a publicly traded company discussed replacing over 70% of their workforce with AI over the next five years. The projected returns were impressive, but no one mentioned the human cost. The lost jobs. The families losing healthcare. And these are white-collar jobs.
And this is already happening.
The Data Is Already Telling the Story
On July 29, 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report that received almost no media attention. They revised job creation numbers downward by 911,000 jobs—the largest revision in 45 years.
For months, we were told the economy had created about a million jobs. In the past, that might have been true. But the reality is AI is already replacing jobs that would have existed as the economy expanded.
AI is replacing workers faster than the government can track. This isn’t a prediction. It’s happening now.
AI has also crossed a threshold. Systems are now operating at an estimated IQ of 145 to 147, placing them in the top 0.1–0.2% of human intelligence.
This isn’t just another tech milestone. It’s a species-level shift.
AI is routinely outperforming highly trained specialists in law, medicine, mental health, and other fields, and it’s only getting better.
Why the Numbers Look Fine (But Aren’t)
Traditional economic metrics are masking what’s really happening. The unemployment rate, for example, doesn’t capture the fact that many companies simply stop hiring instead of firing.
That’s why the July 29, 2025 revision happened. With economic expansion and unemployment claims where they were, we should have seen roughly a million new jobs. They simply weren’t there.
What filled the gap? AI.
But don’t get me wrong, layoffs are happening.
Intel: 22,000 jobs—20% of its workforce.
Microsoft: 9,000 layoffs.
Amazon: 14,000 layoffs, with more coming.
General Motors: 3,400 furloughed.
Meta: 24,000 layoffs over 24 months.
Google: 13,000 layoffs.
The Compounding Effect of AI
Another effect is that people who do have jobs are finding fewer opportunities to advance. The jobs that are available often pay less, while corporate profits soar due to AI-driven efficiency.
Business owners who don’t adapt will become obsolete. CEOs who fail to adjust will be replaced by their boards.
This isn’t a political stand. It’s the nature of markets. In a capitalist system, efficiency and profit are rewarded. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant.
Why I’m Positioning for What’s Next
What matters now is understanding what I think is happening so we can make intelligent decisions. That’s one reason I’m going all-in on self-storage, along with a few other strategies I am deploying.
I’m not qualified to give stock advice. People like Louie Navellier are. What I can speak to is why owning assets like self-storage is becoming increasingly critical.
Hyper-Exponential Change
The speed of AI change is hyper-exponential. Look at the internet. In 1995, only 14% of Americans had ever used it. By 2005, it transformed how we lived. Ten years later, businesses that didn’t adapt disappeared like Blockbuster, Borders, and Kodak. This took about 10 to 20 years.
And many people were caught off guard. That is because our brains are wired for linear thinking. You see, as a species, we evolved to see patterns.
We needed to see movement in bushes or recognize particular sounds to stay alive. Our brains became pattern-recognition machines. We evolved in a way that helped secure our survival.
We have been on this planet as a species for about 300,000 years. In our evolution, our tomorrows pretty much looked like our yesterdays. We are just not wired to see exponential, and especially hyper-exponential, change. Exponential change doesn’t feel real until it’s too late.
The Coming Economic Singularity
And AI is altering the landscape much faster than the internet because it builds on itself. This isn’t a hockey-stick curve of growth; it’s nearly a vertical line. Each AI version is a massive leap forward.
I also think we are approaching what I might call an “economic singularity.” What I am talking about is when AI moves from off the computer and into three-dimensional reality. Specifically, when AI is merged with robotics.
Robots won’t just follow programming; they observe, learn, and adapt. They are mastering physical labor the same way AI mastered knowledge work.
Factories and warehousing will need far fewer people. Amazon already has over 750,000 robots. Elon Musk believes a humanoid robot company could exceed the value of its car business by multiples.
This isn’t science fiction. It’s unfolding now.
Why Self-Storage Still Matters
As an entrepreneur, my job is to look ahead and prepare.
Because of what I see, I’m doubling down on self-storage.
Why?
Because self-storage is most likely AI-resistant, just as it’s been Amazon-resistant, recession-resistant, and internet-resistant.
I’ve lived through the dot-com bust, 9/11, the Great Recession, and COVID. Every one of those events created more demand for self-storage. You see, expansions and contractions in the economy both create demand for self-storage.
Yes, AI will improve our operations as well. We already use it in call centers, underwriting, deal analysis, and construction estimating. We teach this in our bootcamps.
A Final Thought
If you’ve ever thought about getting into self-storage, or growing your portfolio, now is the time, in my opinion—but one must do it in a smart, disciplined way. The industry has matured and become very sophisticated.
Those who do nothing may wake up in a future that changed before their eyes. Those who prepare can position themselves for what’s coming.
In my opinion, self-storage ownership is one of the best ways to do that.
If you’re watching this before January 16, 2026, consider attending our live virtual Self-Storage Bootcamp. If it’s after that date, schedule a call with me.
Don’t sit back passively. Take some kind of action today. I hope I am wrong in the scale, scope, and speed at which I see this fundamental change coming, but I don’t think so.
Together, we can navigate this new world we find ourselves in. I look forward to it.
