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President Donald Trump expressed excitement in his State of the Union address, declaring that the US has entered a “golden age” marked by a growing economy, emerging markets and global restructuring.
“Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever,” Trump said, adding, “You’ve never seen anything. We’re going to do better and better and better. This is America’s golden age” (1).
The president characterized the past year as a turning point, saying he found a country dealing with economic stagnation, inflation and global instability — but he has since presided over what he called “an unprecedented change and a change since time immemorial.”
Trump pointed to economic recovery as a key sign of that change, saying, “The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” while also saying that America is now respected around the world “like never before.”
Recent data paint a more mixed picture (2). US GDP grew at a strong annual rate of 4.4% in the third quarter of 2025, but growth slowed in the fourth quarter, with the economy growing at an annual rate of 1.4% – below economists’ expectations of 2.5%.
Still, Trump continues to portray the past year as a major economic setback.
“A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now it’s the hottest country anywhere in the world. It’s too hot,” he said.
Trump pointed to business growth, factory construction and energy output, noting that new plants, laboratories and factories are being built across the country and that US oil production has increased significantly.
Trump also highlighted the performance of the stock market and its impact on domestic wealth.
“The stock market has hit 53 record highs since the election,” he said. “Think about that. One year.”
He added that the meeting “improves the pensions, 401(k)s and retirement accounts of millions and millions of Americans,” and said, “everyone benefits. Everyone is higher, higher.”
The markets have really gone up. The benchmark S&P 500 has returned about 16% in 2025 and is up about 82% over the past five years, underscoring the strength of the long-term rally.
Those benefits filter into retirement savings. Fidelity reported that the average 401(k) balance rose 9% year-over-year to $144,400 in the third quarter of 2025 — a record high (3).
According to Trump, big gains are still on the horizon. In a recent post on Truth Social, he wrote, “I predict 100,000 in the DOW by the end of my term” (4).
With his term ending in January 2029, that prediction would mean a nearly 100% rise in the Dow in less than three years.
If you share this optimism, here’s a look at a few simple ways to position yourself for America’s growth in 2026 — and beyond.
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Long-term exposure to the growth of American businesses through the stock market has created enormous wealth over time — and Trump is not alone in expressing confidence in that direction.
As the investment legend Warren Buffett wrote in 2017, “The American business – and therefore the basket of stocks – will probably be more relevant in the coming years” (5).
And most importantly, investors don’t have to be stock pickers to participate.
“In my opinion, for most people, the best thing you can do is own an S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett famously said (6). This approach gives investors exposure to America’s 500 largest companies across multiple industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.
The beauty of this method is its accessibility – anyone, regardless of wealth, can use it to their advantage. Even small amounts can grow over time with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.
Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: Link your cards and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference – your spare change – into a diversified portfolio.
With Acorns, you can invest in the S&P 500 ETF for as little as $5 – and, if you sign up today for recurring investments, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you start your investment journey.
For investors interested in individual stocks, platforms like Moby aim to simplify the process. Their team of hedge fund analysts does the hard work – breaking down the market, flagging quality stocks and making research easy to digest.
In fact, for nearly all 400 stocks selected over the past four years, Moby’s recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by about 12% on average. Their research keeps you up-to-date on market shifts and takes the guesswork out of choosing investments.
Also, their reports are easy to understand for beginners, so you can become a smart investor in just five minutes.
Aside from stocks, real estate has long been one of the cornerstones of wealth building in America.
In fact, Buffett often points to real estate when he describes what a productive, income-generating asset looks like. In 2022, Buffett said that if you give him “1% of all the houses in the country” for $25 billion, he will “write you a check” (7).
Why? Because no matter what happens in the wider economy, people still need a place to live and housing can generate constant rental income.
Real estate also provides a built-in hedge against inflation. When inflation increases, property values tend to increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of building materials, labor and land. At the same time, rents tend to rise, giving landlords an income that keeps pace with inflation.
Of course, you don’t need $25 billion – or even buying one property outright – to invest in wealth. Crowdfunding platforms like Ufikele offer an easy way to gain exposure to this revenue-generating asset class.
Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived lets you invest in rental housing stocks for as little as $100 – all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or managing difficult tenants.
The process is simple: Browse selected homes that have been evaluated for their value and income potential. Once you’ve found a property you like, choose the number of shares you’d like to buy and sit back to start receiving any rental income distributions from your investment.
For a limited time, if you open an account and add $1,000 or more, Arrivals will credit your account with a 1% match.
Mogul is another option. It’s a real estate investment platform that offers minority ownership in blue-chip rental properties, offering investors monthly rental income, real-time valuations and tax benefits – without the need for big payouts or 3 a.m. rental calls.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs investors, the team selects the top 1% of single-family rental properties nationwide. In other words, you get access to an institution-quality offering at a fraction of the normal cost.
Each building undergoes a rigorous inspection process, which requires a return of at least 12% even in the worst cases. Across the board, the platform has an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings typically sell out in less than three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.
You can register for an account and browse available properties here.
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We rely only on vetted sources and reliable third-party reporting. For details, see oureditorial ethics and guidelines.
IC-SPAN (1); Bureau of Economic Analysis (2); Honesty (3); @realDonaldTrump (4); Berkshire Hathaway (5); CNBC (6), (7)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. Offered without warranty of any kind.
