Jan 16, 2026
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Investing legend Jim Rogers isn’t feeling optimistic about the U.S. stock market.
“I sold all my U.S. stocks recently, because I’ve seen this party before,” he said in an interview with Wealthion.
One problem he highlighted is the sheer size of America’s debt.
“The U.S. is the largest debtor nation in the history of the world. And I sit and look at the numbers, and I say, can’t they read in Washington? Don’t they know what’s happening?”
According to Treasury Department data, the U.S. national debt now stands at $38.3 trillion.
Rogers also warned that even the Federal Reserve “doesn’t have unlimited amounts of money that can save us all,” adding that the central bank “usually makes things worse.”
“My advice is, be very, very careful wherever you think about investing. This is a rare time in investing history,” he stated.
If you share his concerns, here’s a look at a few strategies to help protect yourself.
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Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund
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A classic safe haven
Rogers finds refuge in precious metals.
“I own a lot of gold and silver,” he said. “I am not a seller of gold and silver. I hope that someday my children have all the gold and silver, because I don’t see any reason for any human being to sell gold and silver in the 21st century.”
Gold and silver have long been considered popular hedges against inflation. Unlike fiat currency, these metals cannot be printed in unlimited quantities by central banks.
At the same time, investors often look to these metals amid market volatility and global instability, as their value isn’t tied to any specific country, currency or economy.
In just the last 12 months, the price of gold has surged by over 60% during a historic bull run.
One way to take advantage of gold while leveraging significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, which combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the inflation-hedging benefits of precious metals. This can make it an attractive option for those seeking to protect their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.
To learn more, you can request a free information guide that includes details on how to get up to $10,000 in free silver on qualifying purchases. Just keep in mind that gold is often best used as just one part of a well-diversified portfolio.
Rental income, even in a down market
Like stocks, real estate has its cycles too, but real estate doesn’t require a bull market to earn returns.
Even during a recession, high-quality, essential real estate can continue to produce passive income through rent. In other words, you don’t have to wait for prices to rise to see a payoff — the asset itself can work for you.
Traditionally, investing in real estate meant buying property and becoming a landlord. But new investing platforms are making it easier than ever to tap into the real estate market — and without a 30-year mortgage commitment or contending with midnight maintenance calls.
For instance, The Fundrise Flagship Fund¹ is a $1.2 billion private real estate fund that lets you invest in an expertly crafted strategy without needing hundreds of thousands of dollars. You don’t need to be an accredited investor, and you can get started with as little as $10.
With 4,700+ single-family homes and 2,500+ residential units owned by the Fundrise Flagship Fund, you get exposure to institutional-style scale and diversification.
Industrial
215 Interchange
Las Vegas, NV
Build-for-rent
Pine Ridge
Fountain Inn, SC
Build-for-rent
Omnia
Richmond Hill, GA
These are a few examples of properties powering the Fundrise Flagship Fund. For a full list of the Fundrise Flagship Fund's portfolio properties see the Flagship Fund website.
After you place your first investment, the Fundrise Flagship Fund will work to find and add new assets to your portfolio over time and send you transparent updates along the way.
It only takes a few minutes to sign up now and become a real estate investor today.
Fundrise Flagship Fund
Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund
Another option is Class B real estate, which is an asset class that tends to perform steadily through market cycles, supported by a broad tenant base and sustained demand for quality, affordable space.
Featured
Residential
Columbus, OH
Featured
Industrial
Tobyhanna, PA
Featured
Residential
Beverly Hills, MI
These are a few examples of past properties or acquisitions from Lightstone. Explore more investment opportunities when you register with Lightstone DIRECT.
In times of volatility, they often benefit from renters “trading down” from higher-cost options, while limited new supply keeps vacancies in check.
Accredited investors can now tap into this opportunity through platforms such as Lightstone DIRECT, which gives you access to single-asset multifamily and industrial deals — with a minimum investment of $100,000.
Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.
Diversify like the ultra-rich
Similar to Jim Rogers’ warning, Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon, cautioned investors to brace for a drawdown on stocks over the next two years at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in November.
“It’s likely there’ll be a 10% to 20% drawdown in equity markets sometime in the next 12 to 24 months,” Solomon said. “Things run, and then they pull back so people can reassess.”
With these warning signs, diversification isn’t just smart — it’s essential. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates continue to invest heavily in stocks, but they also carve out a portion of their portfolios for assets that behave differently from the market.
One standout example: post-war and contemporary art, which outpaced the S&P 500 by 15% from 1995 to 2025 while showing near-zero correlation to traditional equities. Until recently, this world was off-limits.
Now, with Masterworks, you can buy fractional shares in multimillion-dollar works by icons like Banksy, Picasso and Basquiat. While art can be illiquid and typically requires a long-term hold, it offers unique portfolio diversification.
Sold
Joan Mitchell
17.8% annualized net return
Sold
Yayoi Kusama
17.6% annualized net return
Sold
George Condo
21.5% annualized net return
These are a few examples of sold artworks from Masterworks. For a full list of currently available art, visit Masterworks' Price Database.
Masterworks has sold 25 artworks so far, yielding net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*
Moneywise readers can get priority access to diversify with art: Skip the waitlist here
*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com/cd
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Public markets show just one side of how wealth is created. Many of the biggest and most successful tech companies remain privately held for years, growing behind the scenes and building incredible value long before the IPO bell is rung.
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Finding the right asset mix
While gold, real estate and other alternative assets can play an important role in protecting your savings, they’re just a portion of your entire financial puzzle.
Determining the right mix of assets for your portfolio isn’t one-size-fits-all — and a trusted, pre-screened financial advisor can help tailor investment choices to your income, net worth, and long-term goals, where generalized advice often falls short.
According to research by Vanguard, people who work with financial advisors see a 3% increase in net returns. This difference can be substantial over time. For instance, if you start with a $50,000 portfolio, you could potentially retire with an extra $1.3 million after 30 years of professional guidance.
Finding the right advisor for your needs is simple with Advisor.com. Their platform connects you with an experienced, qualified financial professional in your local area who can provide personalized guidance.
A professional advisor can also help you assess how many years you have left to invest before retirement and determine your comfort level with market fluctuations, both of which are key to creating the right asset mix for your portfolio.
Through Advisor.com, you can schedule a free consultation with no obligation to hire to discuss your financial goals and retirement planning needs.
Jing is an investment reporter for MoneyWise. He is an avid advocate of investing for passive income. Despite the ups and downs he’s been through with the markets, Jing believes that you can generate a steadily increasing income stream by investing in high quality companies.
