Robert Kiyosaki has a blunt warning for investors: China is dumping U.S. debt for gold, and "it's risk management."
For those looking to follow suit while also securing tax advantages, one option is to open a gold IRA with Priority Gold.
For diversification beyond gold, Arrived lets you invest in rental properties for as little as $100.
China has been reshaping its financial strategy for years — and Robert Kiyosaki thinks most Americans haven't noticed.
In a recent Instagram post, the Rich Dad Poor Dad author pointed out that China has been steadily reducing its U.S. Treasury holdings while aggressively building its gold reserves.
"This isn't politics," Kiyosaki wrote. "It's risk management."
His view: after seeing Russia's foreign reserves frozen following its invasion of Ukraine, Beijing decided paper assets are only "yours" until they aren't.
China isn't alone. Central banks globally have been trimming Treasury holdings and adding gold as a hedge against geopolitical risk.
Kiyosaki's broader point is one financial planners have preached for decades: don't put too much faith in any single asset. When one part of your portfolio struggles, having money spread across other asset classes can cushion the blow.
Here are three ways investors are diversifying beyond stocks and bonds.
1. Gold
While central banks like China’s are building gold reserves as a hedge against geopolitical instability, individual investors can apply a similar principle to their retirement portfolios.
Gold acts as a financial stabilizer. It doesn’t depend on debt or corporate earnings, making it a powerful counterbalance when equities and bonds face volatility.
For those looking to move beyond paper assets, a self-directed Gold IRA with Priority Gold offers a strategic way to integrate physical gold into your retirement plan.
This setup combines the tax benefits of an IRA with the protective, tangible nature of investing in gold, helping to insulate your savings against currency erosion and market uncertainty.
To learn more about how to protect your nest egg, you can get a free information guide that includes details on how to get up to $10,000 in free silver on qualifying purchases.
2. Real estate
Real estate has long been favored by investors as a structural hedge against inflation. Because rents and property values generally rise alongside the cost of living, income-producing properties can help portfolios maintain purchasing power while providing steady cash flow, offering a layer of diversification that stocks and bonds alone cannot always provide.
You can tap into this market by investing in shares of vacation homes or rental properties through Arrived.
The Vanzant
Single Family Residential$415K
Invested1,294
Investors
The Smokey
Vacation Rental$983K
Invested1,748
Investors
The SuiteSpot
Vacation Rental$1.2M
Invested1,672
InvestorsThese are a few examples of properties from Arrived. Check out the full list of single family residential homes and vacation rentals currently available.
Backed by world-class investors, including Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental properties and potentially earn a passive income stream without the operational demands of becoming a landlord.
Plus, for a limited time, when you open an account and add $1,000 or more, Arrived will credit your account with a 1% match.
Simply browse their selection of vetted properties — each chosen for its potential for appreciation and income generation — and start investing with as little as $100.
Another option is a platform called Mogul.
The real estate investment platform offers fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits without the need for a $250,000 down payment or 3 A.M. tenant calls.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. Simply put, you can invest in institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.
The Harden
Phoenix, AZ$323K
Invested80+
Investors
The Yamamoto
Poconos, PA$909K
Invested80+
Investors
The Alcaraz
Lizella, GA$833K
Invested80+
InvestorsThese are a few examples of properties from Mogul. Browse available properties on their website.
Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Their cash-on-cash yields, meanwhile, average between 10-12% annually.
Each property undergoes a vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios.
3. Other alternative assets
Beyond gold and real estate, some investors are turning to an asset that doesn't trade on any stock exchange: fine art.
Art has traditionally been out of reach for everyday investors — historically the domain of billionaires and institutions.
Platforms like Masterworks have opened it up, letting investors buy fractional shares of works by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso. More than 70,000 investors have signed up since 2019.
Joan Mitchell
17.8% annualized net return
Yayoi Kusama
17.6% annualized net return
George Condo
21.5% annualized net returnThese are a few examples of sold artworks from Masterworks. For a full list of currently available art, visit Masterworks' Price Database.
All you have to do is select how many shares you want to buy and Masterworks will take care of the rest.
How it works
- Step 1: Accredited investors need to visit Masterworks.com, where they’ll be prompted to enter a few details about their portfolio and investment goals.
- Step 2: Investors can schedule a call with one of Masterworks Advisers — registered investment representatives — to determine which current art holdings match their investment goals. The benefit is that you can select one or many art pieces, buying fractional shares based on your interests and goals.
- Step 3: As soon as Masterworks sells a piece you invested in, you get a return from the net proceeds. While every artwork performs differently, overall the past three exits — where Masterworks has acquired, held and eventually sold the art work — delivered median returns of 17.6%, 17.8%, and 21.5%*.
Moneywise readers can get priority access to skip the waitlist here.
For those who qualify as accredited investors, Masterworks is taking the concept even further. Now, Masterworks is offering a single investment that combines blue-chip art with other scarce assets, such as gold and bitcoin, that have historically moved independently of equities and of one another.
The result is a more balanced, all-weather approach to alternative investing. In fact, this model would have outperformed the S&P 500 by 3.1x from 2017 to 2025.*
By leveraging access to museum-quality artwork alongside other uncorrelated assets, the strategy seeks better diversification while still targeting strong returns.
Discover how diversifying with this strategy can strengthen your portfolio for the years ahead.
Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. The 3.1x figure reflects a model backtest, not actual fund performance.
4. Guaranteed income
For investors who want a portion of their portfolio to be predictable rather than market-dependent, fixed annuities offer a way to lock in guaranteed growth.
Gainbridge lets you open an annuity online in minutes, with no fees and a rate locked in from day one.
Gainbridge currently offers rates up to 5.45%, more than 3x the national CD average, with built-in principal protection.
Unlike a regular CD, Gainbridge lets you withdraw up to 10% of your balance each year with no penalty, and there are no hidden fees or commissions. Terms range from 3 to 10 years, with a $1,000 minimum to open.
Just answer a few questions to see your guaranteed rate — funding and setup take just a few steps.
Not sure which route is right for you?
Whether it's gold, real estate or art, determining the right mix of assets for your portfolio isn't one-size-fits-all.
For investors with portfolios of $250,000 or more, financial decisions often become increasingly nuanced.
Managing withdrawals, minimizing tax exposure, and ensuring long-term sustainability often requires greater coordination and strategic planning.
In these cases, working with a financial advisor can help reduce costly mistakes.
Platforms like WiserAdvisor can connect you with vetted professionals who specialize in this kind of planning.
Simply answer a few questions about your savings, retirement timeline and overall investment portfolio.
From there, WiserAdvisor reviews its network to match you — for free — with up to three vetted, reputable advisors aligned with your specific needs.
You can then schedule no-obligation consultations with your matches to determine who is the best fit for your long-term goals.
Note: WiserAdvisor is a matching service and does not provide financial advice directly. All matched advisors are third parties, and specific financial results are not guaranteed.
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Thomas Kent is a senior staff writer at Moneywise covering personal finance, markets and economic trends. He specializes in translating complex financial topics into clear, actionable insights for everyday readers.
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