Vice President JD Vance says America’s economic problems run deeper than wages or employment, as even many young professionals with successful careers no longer believe they can achieve the same middle-class lifestyle their parents enjoyed.

Speaking on “The Joe Rogan Experience” recently, Vance said that many Americans feel the economic system is working against them, pointing to rising housing costs as one of the clearest examples.

Don’t Miss:

Even High Earners Feel Locked Out

Vance recalled a conversation with a young engineer who was earning far more than most people her age but still saw homeownership as out of reach.

“You’re an engineer. You make way more money than 75% of people your age, maybe 90% of people your age,” Vance said, “and you think that it is like this ridiculous, unachievable objective to have literally what your parents had, which is a decent job, a nice house, and a safe place.”

For Vance, that conversation highlighted a much larger problem. If people who are already financially successful no longer believe the American Dream is attainable, frustration with the current system will continue to grow.

He told comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan that the U.S. spent decades moving factories overseas and relying on lower-cost foreign labor while allowing Wall Street to turn more of everyday life into investment opportunities.

“We ran the experiment of offshoring all of our industrial jobs, of becoming a services and finance economy and allowing Wall Street to come in and buy every asset of modern life,” Vance said.

Trending: This Energy Company Says It Can Turn Coal Into Hydrogen, Diesel And Other Products—Without Burning It.

He also said that high immigration levels increased competition for a limited number of homes, saying that tighter border policies have helped stabilize rents and housing prices over the past year and a half.

Vance warned that without a realistic path to homeownership, more Americans could lose faith in the current economic system.

“And what has that done? It’s created a generation of kids who kind of are attracted to socialism,” he told Rogan. “We have to fix that problem.”

AI Could Make the Problem Worse

The conversation also turned to artificial intelligence, with Rogan raising concerns that AI could wipe out entire professions.

“Very specific jobs are going to just be irrelevant,” Rogan said. “They’re going to be completely wiped out by AI.”

Vance said he believes the bigger issue isn’t widespread unemployment but how the wealth created by AI will be distributed. Comparing today’s technological shift to the Industrial Revolution, he argued that new jobs will likely emerge, but inequality could become much worse if the gains flow to only a small group of people.

See Also: Big Pharma Has Spent Years Searching For Better Osteoarthritis Treatments. This Biotech Is Taking A Different Approach.

“The fundamental challenge of AI is it’s going to unleash a lot of wealth creation,” Vance said. “But if that wealth creation all goes to some segment of people, you’re going to have communism. That is the choice before us.”

Vance said workers should have more of a say in how AI changes the workplace. He also warned that if just a few big companies end up controlling the technology, everyday Americans could miss out on its benefits. More competition would give more people a chance to benefit from the wealth AI creates.

Millions of Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency bill, leaving many vulnerable to unexpected expenses. Mode Mobile is offering a different way to earn extra income through its EarnPhone, which rewards users for activities they already do every day, including reading the news, listening to music and playing games. The smartphone costs $99, lowering the barrier to entry, and you can now buy into the company. Invest today from $1,000 for just $0.52 a share.

Read Next: Most AI Robotics Companies Are Still Building. This One Is Already Working In Restaurants.

Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.

Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

Realberry

Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access. Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.

FarmTogether

Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

Immersed

Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.

Mode Mobile

Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.

EquityMultiple

For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.