The middle class is shrinking, but not for the reason you think.

It’s hard to escape the doom-and-gloom narratives: wages are stagnant, the rich are getting richer, and everyday Americans are getting crushed. But when you look at the inflation-adjusted figures, a very different story emerges.

For years, we’ve been told that the middle class is collapsing. But it’s not. It’s moving up. Incomes in the U.S. have actually surged over the last 30-40 years.

People are getting wealthier, so why doesn’t it feel like it?

The reality is that where you live, how you live, and what you owe have a much bigger impact than your tax bracket. Yes, housing has outpaced inflation, but other costs—like college tuition, childcare, and healthcare—have blown past it. A millennial with student debt and less purchasing power feels much poorer than someone in another area of the country—even if they earn the same salary. It’s a tale of two Americas.

But there’s an even bigger distinction between millennials who have prospered and those who continue to struggle, and you might have more control over which side you land on after all.

Insights from today’s episode: 

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The Wealth System You Were Taught Is a Lie (Here’s the Real One)

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The wealthy hate income and actively avoid it.

Most people think income is the key to wealth. The more you grow your income, the higher you climb the corporate ladder, the more money you’ll have to save and spend.

This couldn’t be more wrong.

Income is a silent wealth-killer because you’re losing money before it ever reaches your pocket. Wealth is ownership—not income, but assets that produce income.

We’re all taught to earn money, pay our taxes, and either spend or save the rest. But the rich invert this formula by earning, spending, investing, and then paying taxes. It’s not a tax loophole. It’s how the tax code was designed. The system rewards those who play the long game and keep their money in the system.

I didn’t learn this overnight. It took years at an old sales job before I realized just how much money I was leaking with every paycheck. Today, I share exactly how I built my wealth by reinvesting, compounding, and strategically deferring taxable events. 

More income just brings more taxes, but ownership brings freedom.

Insights from today’s episode: 

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My mission is to help everyday people achieve financial independence by teaching the strategies and principles that the wealthy use—but that most people never learn. If you're tired of working hard but not getting ahead financially, you're in the right place.

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The Self Storage Bubble Bust… https://www.selfstorageincome.com/blog/the-self-storage-bubble-bust 

I have a framework that tells me which investments (and businesses) have the highest odds of succeeding. I’ve used this framework to build multiple $10M+ businesses and own a $100M+ real estate portfolio. I didn’t do this all by luck, and it isn’t because I’m a genius. It’s all because of this simple framework that anyone can use, with any budget, at any stage in their life.

Most businesses fail. Restaurants open, then close a month later. Stocks get sold off and drop to zero. Companies lay off their staff and shut their doors. This is all while other industries, companies, and investments see record profits. They all had a dream, but only some of them succeeded. What’s the secret to knowing which ones will make it? 

The 4M Framework.

The 4M Framework has personally helped me invest (and divest) in industries at the exact right times, making the most money possible and growing my wealth to $10M+. I’m finally sharing it, after testing it for over 20 years and seeing incredible results. You can use it, too, no matter how much money you have. I’m breaking down all four stages so you can multiply your money faster and stop getting burned. 

Insights from today’s episode: 

See My 4M Breakdowns on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ajosborne 

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This looks a lot like the Dot-com bubble. Stock prices are hitting record highs, but their valuations are starting to diverge from reality. Americans are scared they’ll miss out on the rise of AI, so they’re pouring cash into the market in record amounts. Meanwhile, price-to-earnings ratios are inching nearer to Dot-com bubble levels. 

How close are we to the AI bubble bursting? Is this just another mania, or will AI deliver such strong production and profit increases that this type of stock market becomes the new reality? 90% of investors think the stock market is overpriced…so why is everyone still buying?

I’m sharing my thoughts in today’s episode as we compare the Dot-com bubble in 2000 to the 2025 stock market, which is seeing unprecedented price growth thanks to AI. I’ll admit this isn't the same economic environment as the Dot-com bubble, but the similarities are getting hard to ignore. 

Stocks could pull back, as they often do after a massive run-up. The question is: will the AI bubble burst, or is this the new reality?

Insights from today’s episode: 

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AJ Osborne Podcast 29. How AI Could Trigger the Next Great Depression 

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This is about to get weird. I’m opening up about something that has only been shared in very private circles. As some of you know, years ago, I was comatose and paralyzed for months, unable to move or communicate, stuck in a hospital bed, with only my thoughts. Deep into my paralysis, strange things began to happen—breakthroughs I didn’t know were possible. Personalities became unlocked, and a part of me I thought had died began to escape. 

This led me to what I now call the “meeting of the mind,” a major shift in my life that has not only led me to more success, but greater happiness, a deeper understanding of myself, and the ability to unlock my mind’s full potential. This is something very few people have ever experienced, but today I’m giving you the tools to try this experiment on your own.

This will allow you to unlock all your different personalities, including the one who gives you crystal clear clarity to see things as they truly are. If you were expecting an episode on business building or economic changes, sorry, this isn’t it. But knowing how to have your own “meeting of the mind” will amplify any area of life you want to succeed in. 

Insights from today’s episode: 

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There’s one thing that separates a “good” commercial real estate deal from the rest—and you have complete control over it. Get it right, and your returns are much closer to being locked in. Get it wrong, and you could have a cash-draining property on your hands. 

Kevin Bupp, 20+ year investing veteran and mobile home park and parking lot expert, is here to help. He built a massive real estate portfolio from nothing, starting at the young age of 20, lost it all in the 2008 crash, and rebuilt it bigger, better, and (much) safer than before. He’s learned the lessons the hard way, so you don’t have to.

In this episode, we’re talking about commercial real estate underwriting, how to separate the “good” deals from the BS, and the most crucial factor that makes or breaks a real estate investment. Kevin is buying multimillion-dollar deals, meaning his margin for error can only be tiny. This is the way he decides whether to buy or move on to the next opportunity.  

Insights from today’s episode: 

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Sunrise Capital Investors: https://sunrisecapitalinvestors.com/fund-4/

Kevin’s Website: https://kevinbupp.com/

Kevin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbupp/  

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Want to start a business and begin working for yourself? This is how you do it. You don’t need to (and actually should not) invent a product or create a new type of service or technology. You can work for yourself simply by doing what you do right now at your job or what you’re interested in. Becoming your own boss enables you to earn more money, live on your own terms, and build something greater than yourself.

This is how to start your own business from scratch, even if you have $0 and are working a full-time job.

My guest isn’t wearing a suit, and he’s not driving a Bentley to work. He doesn’t need to, even though he’s COO of Self Storage Income. George Mortimer became my COO through starting his own web design business after not wanting a boss. Now, he’s running teams and a multimillion-dollar business. George and I know what it’s like to do the grunt work, struggle, and finally succeed at being (often) happily self-employed.

We’ll walk through how you can do it, too: build your own business, become your own boss, and scale up through the business stages (without burning out).

Insights from today’s episode: 

Self Storage Income: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/    

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The long-awaited Fed announcement is here. After the recent Fed meeting, where we got more clarity on rate cuts, the economic “cycle” seems to have been just reset. This will have significant consequences for the economy and prime specific industries for a resurgence. If you own any of these assets or work in any of these sectors, you could be riding a new “wave” of wealth for years to come. 

After years of economic tightening and high interest rates, stubborn inflation, and American purchasing power shrinking dramatically, the Fed has finally reversed course, heading towards an “easing” cycle. But something more interesting than rate cut news came out of recent Fed meetings—it’s what the Fed didn’t say.

Jerome Powell has switched from familiar verbiage to some new phrasing, priming us that we could be in a much different position than we’ve been in before. This has enormous implications for the next moves the Fed makes, and whether we’ll see interest rates fall even more as a result. Was the Fed too late with this move, with unemployment already rising and job revisions pushing us into an even deeper hole? I’m explaining who will win and who will get left behind in this next cycle. 

Insights from today’s episode: 

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Why U.S. Debt is Everyone’s Problem (Including Yours) - https://youtu.be/DFDZwj64EeQ?si=t6jH1zLvRBn0Wmas 

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If you can’t fix this, you’ll never be wealthy. The 99% move like a herd, and the masses scream in fear, duck for cover, and sell in lockstep during every major recession, crash, and recovery. This is why most Americans (or people on Earth, for that matter) will never be wealthy. By letting their fear take over during times of opportunity and their greed override their senses during peaks, the masses buy high, sell low, and remain in the same place.

This is avoidable. Anyone can grow wealthy IF they follow the right steps.

At some point, I realized that my emotions were controlling too many of my decisions. When I stopped listening to my lizard brain and started operating on a system, everything changed. How did I know to buy so low during the real estate bust in 2008? How did I know my industry was in a bubble before so many others? And why am I back to buying while people are telling me the bottom is yet to come?

Keep following the news if you want to remain stuck. Listen to this episode if you want to finally control your financial future. 

Insights from today’s episode: 

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AJ Osborne YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@AJOsborneOfficial 

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AI could trigger a new economic crisis—the next great depression—and most people are ignoring it. I’m not just talking about job loss or automation replacing salaries. There’s a much deeper problem—one that could erode the last remnants of stability in the US economy and government. Is AI taking jobs? Yes. But that’s just one of our worries.

“Second-order consequences” are coming fast. Nobody is talking about them. The government, the economy, and everyday US citizens are not prepared. And this isn’t just a US problem. Many developed nations are dealing with a generational shift, massive national debt, and a shrinking workforce. Will AI solve this problem or make it even worse? 

I’m sharing my theory on how AI will shift the US economy and you individually, the effects that most people are completely overlooking, and a growing concern that is going to hit the US government head-on. AI could be the solution to many of our problems—it could also be our downfall. Which road will we take?

Insights from today’s episode: 

Why U.S. Debt is Everyone’s Problem (Including Yours) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFDZwj64EeQ&pp=0gcJCcwJAYcqIYzv 

Sign Up for My Newsletter Here: https://ajosborne.com/newsletter