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Economy
U.S. President Donald Trump smiles from the field before the 126th America's Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium on December 13, 2025. Getty Images

Trump says Americans need to prepare for something the US ‘has never seen.’ Here’s how to get ready (and wealthy) in 2026

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President Donald Trump says the U.S. is on the cusp of something “this country has never seen” — and he’s crediting his much-discussed tariff policy.

Speaking at a White House Christmas reception, Trump argued that tariffs are driving a manufacturing revival, pointing to the auto industry as a prime example.

The result, Trump says, could be a historic economic upswing.

To be sure, that manufacturing boom has yet to materialize. Still, Trump insists the turnaround is coming soon.

“You’re going to see results in six months to a year. I think you’ll see results — we’ve never had anything like it,” he said.

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Fundrise Flagship Fund

Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund

at fundrise.com/flagship

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Lightstone DIRECT

Invest in multifamily and industrial properties

at lightstonedirect.com

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SoFi Invest

Buy and sell stocks with no commission

at sofi.com

Betting on America

While Trump’s tariff policies have drawn criticism, major companies continue to view the U.S. as one of the most dependable places to build and grow. That confidence is showing up in the scale of capital they’re committing — across multiple industries:

  • Apple is investing $600 billion in U.S. manufacturing and training
  • Johnson & Johnson is investing $55 billion in domestic manufacturing and R&D
  • Hyundai is investing $26 billion to expand U.S. auto production

In his 2023 shareholder letter, Warren Buffett called America “a terrific country for investors,” arguing that long-term wealth doesn’t require picking the perfect stock — just staying invested.

For most people, the simplest way to do that is through the stock market.

If you want to capitalize on this consistency, you could work with SoFi to invest in ETFs like an S&P 500 index fund. You can also pick out individual stocks yourself if you feel confident in making market moves.

The platform is designed to help you learn investing as you go, with real-time investing news, curated content and the data you need to make smart decisions about the stocks that matter most to you. You can even create a personal watch list based on your interests.

This DIY approach allows you to invest with no commission fees in the stocks, index funds or ETFs you believe in. Plus, for a limited time, you can get up to $3,000 in stock when you fund a new account.

Partner logo

SoFi Invest

Buy and sell stocks with no commission

at sofi.com

Invest in US real estate

Beyond stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America — one that Trump himself knows well.

Before politics, Trump made his fortune in real estate — and the asset class remains a powerful tool for building and preserving wealth. High-quality properties can generate rental income, offering a dependable stream of passive cash flow. Real estate can also serve as an inflation hedge, as property values and rents tend to rise alongside the cost of living.

Of course, you don’t need $25 billion — or even to buy a single property outright — to invest in real estate.

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.

Partner logo

Fundrise Flagship Fund

Buy real estate through Fundrise's $1 billion private fund

at fundrise.com/flagship

Another option is Lightstone DIRECT, which offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.

Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.

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.

Over nearly-four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles — including a 27.5% historical net IRR and a 2.49x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.

With Lightstone DIRECT, you gain access to that proprietary deal flow.

Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With its skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.

Partner logo

Lightstone DIRECT

Invest in multifamily and industrial properties

at lightstonedirect.com

Diversify like the rich

Another way to build wealth is through alternative investments like art.

In the past, you had to be ultra-wealthy to invest in art, considering you needed to have the millions it takes to buy a painting at an auction.

But Masterworks has now changed that. This investment platform has made it possible for more investors to access this prized asset.

For example, Gustav Klimt’s famous portrait of Elisabeth Lederer recently sold for a record-breaking $236.4 million, making it the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at an auction.

Instead of buying a single painting like that for millions of dollars, you can now invest in fractional shares of blue-chip paintings by iconic American artists like Basquiat.

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.

All you have to do is select how many shares you want to buy and Masterworks will take care of the rest.

Masterworks has already distributed back $65+ million in total proceeds (including principal) to investors across their 25 exits.

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 diversify with art: Skip the waitlist here

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Masterworks

Invest in shares of contemporary art

at masterworks.com

Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com/cd

Finding the right asset mix

While real estate and other alternative assets can play an important role in growing your wealth, 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.

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Advisor

Connect with a vetted financial advisor near you

at advisor.com

More money moves to make

Arrived

Real estate investing

Buy shares of homes and vacation rentals for as little as $100.

Figure

HELOC

Tap into your home equity to pay off debt or fund a renovation.

Advisor

Financial advisor

Connect with a vetted wealth expert to help you get on track.

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Jing Pan Investment Reporter

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.

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