Trump says America is ‘bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever.’ How to invest in the ‘golden age’

Jing Pan

Thu, February 26, 2026 at 7:29 AM GMT+9 8 min read

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President Donald Trump struck an upbeat tone in his State of the Union address, declaring that the U.S. has entered a new “golden age” marked by a surging economy, rising markets and renewed global standing.

“Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before,” Trump said, adding, “You’ve seen nothing yet. We are going to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America” (1).

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The president framed the past year as a dramatic turnaround, arguing that he inherited a country facing economic stagnation, high inflation and global instability — but has since overseen what he called “a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages.”

Trump pointed to economic momentum as a key sign of that shift, saying, “The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” while also claiming that America is now respected globally “like never before.”

Recent data paints a more mixed picture (2). U.S. GDP grew at a strong annual rate of 4.4% in the third quarter of 2025, but growth cooled in the fourth quarter, with the economy expanding at an annualized rate of 1.4% — below economists’ expectations of 2.5%.

Still, Trump continues to portray the past year as a major economic rebound.

“A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest,” he declared.

Trump pointed to business formation, factory construction and energy output, noting that new plants, laboratories and factories are being built across the country and that U.S. oil production has climbed significantly.

“Everybody’s up, way up”

Trump also highlighted the stock market’s performance and its impact on household wealth.

“The stock market has set 53 all-time record highs since the election,” he said. “Think of that. One year.”

He added that the rally is “boosting pensions, 401(k)s and retirement accounts for the millions and millions of Americans,” saying, “They’re all gaining. Everybody’s up, way up.”

Markets have indeed pushed to fresh highs. The benchmark S&P 500 returned about 16% in 2025 and is up roughly 82% over the past five years, underscoring the strength of the long-running rally.

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Those gains have filtered into retirement savings as well. Fidelity reported that the average 401(k) balance rose 9% year over year to $144,400 in the third quarter of 2025 — an all-time high (3).

According to Trump, bigger gains are still on the horizon. In a recent post on Truth Social, he wrote, “I am predicting 100,000 on the DOW by the end of my Term” (4).

With his term ending in January 2029, that forecast would imply a roughly 100% climb 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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“The best thing to do,” according to Warren Buffett

Long-term exposure to the growth of American businesses through the stock market has created enormous wealth over time — and Trump isn’t alone in expressing confidence in that trajectory.

As investing legend Warren Buffett wrote in 2017, “American business — and consequently a basket of stocks — is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead” (5).

And crucially, investors don’t need to be expert stock pickers to participate.

“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett has famously stated (6). This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.

The beauty of this approach is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. 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 an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today with a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.

For investors interested in individual stocks, platforms like Moby aim to simplify the process. Their team of former hedge fund analysts does the heavy lifting — breaking down the market, flagging quality stocks and making the research easy to digest.

In fact, across nearly 400 stock picks over the past four years, Moby’s recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average. Their research keeps you up-to-the-minute on market shifts and takes the guesswork out of choosing investments.

Plus, their reports are easy to understand for beginners, so you can become a smarter investor in just five minutes.

Build wealth through US real estate

Beyond stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America.

In fact, Buffett often points to real estate when explaining what a productive, income-generating asset looks like. In 2022, Buffett stated that if you offered him “1% of all the apartment houses in the country” for $25 billion, he would “write you a check” (7).

Why? Because regardless of what’s happening in the broader economy, people still need a place to live and apartments can consistently produce rent money.

Real estate also offers a built-in hedge against inflation. When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.

Of course, you don’t need $25 billion — or even to buy a single property outright — to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.

Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100 — all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.

The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.

For a limited time, when you open an account and add $1,000 or more, Arrived will credit your account with a 1% match.

Mogul is another option. It’s a real estate investment platform offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.

Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.

Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.

You can sign up for an account and then browse available properties here.

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines_._

C-SPAN (1); Bureau of Economic Analysis (2); Fidelity (3); @realDonaldTrump (4); Berkshire Hathaway (5); CNBC (6), (7)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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