4 Stocks That Are Actually WAR-PROOF

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Earn Your Leisure

Episode: 4 Stocks That Are Actually WAR-PROOF
Date: March 14, 2026
Hosts: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings
Network: iHeartPodcasts

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Main Theme Overview

In this episode, the hosts and their panel dissect investment strategies during international conflict—specifically focusing on the 2026 US-Iran war. Using concrete examples and accessible explanations, they address urgent listener questions about protecting portfolios in turbulent times and identify sectors and specific stocks they consider "war-proof." The discussion explores the intersection of politics, economics, and moral considerations relating to profiting during war, offering actionable advice for retail investors.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. War and Portfolio Impact (03:01–04:53)

• The core question: “What are three ways to get rich during this war with Iran?” is dissected.
• Financial Analyst:
  • Skeptical about getting rich unless you’re government insiders:

    “I don't think the war is going to last enough for anybody that's not inside...to get rich from it.” (03:08)

  • Advocates tech exposure, oil giants (Exxon Mobil), and index funds for those invested in the market.
  • Emphasizes building “war-proof” portfolios, designed to withstand:

    “any assassination attempts or completions, any war, any famine, any pandemics...” (03:23)

2. Naming the Four “War-Proof” Stocks (04:25–04:53)

• Financial Analyst:

  “The four stocks that I think are AR proof and war proof: Costco, Walmart, Amgen, Eli Lilly. I don't care what happens in a foreign country, those four will be okay.” (04:40)

• The rationale:

  • These companies provide essentials or critical healthcare, hence, resilient regardless of geopolitical shocks.
  • Reflects the show’s practical approach:

    “Given your current configuration...will yours be fine?” (04:51)

3. Sectors and Index Investing (04:53–05:40)

• Investment Advisor:

  “If you want to break it down to ETFs then you can just take three ETFs...Technology, for sure. I think utilities and industrials...should be safe bets in this type of environment or any type of environment.” (04:54–05:19)

• Emphasizes continual demand for energy, infrastructure, and tech as reasons for sector resilience.
• States discomfort with profiting from war, but recommends practical strategies.

4. The Morality and Mechanics of War Profiteering (05:40–09:00)

• War and Economics Commentator:
  • Provocatively remarks:

    “But the whole point of a war is to get rich.” (05:40)

  • Points out that government and the ultra-wealthy historically benefit most.
• Financial Analyst and Investment Advisor:
  • Agree that war profits largely flow to well-connected insiders, not regular investors.
  • Acknowledgement of media, propaganda, and created scenarios for financial gain by elites.
• Investment Advisor:
  • Offers prosaic wisdom on realistic expectations, quoting:

    “There's a saying oatmeal is better than no meal. So, yeah, you're not...gonna be able to benefit the same way that...the government's gonna be able to benefit.” (06:56)

  • Warns about the ballooning costs of war and resulting currency devaluation.

5. Safe Havens: Gold, Bitcoin, and Currencies (07:30–09:00)

• Hosts and guests detail why gold and Bitcoin are likely to rise as the US dollar weakens:

  “Gold is going to continue to go up. Bitcoin...has to as well. It has no other option because it's an alternative to the dollar...” (08:06)

  • View gold and BTC as objective long-term hedges against systemic risk and dollar devaluation.

• Investment Advisor:

  • Argues it’s not unethical to act on transparent, objective market signals, especially since "somebody's going to make money" regardless. (09:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Financial Analyst:

  “I designed [this portfolio] to outstand any assassination attempts or completions, any war, any famine, any pandemics, any 10 year droughts, any Ponzi scheme reveal, any reveal of asset erasure through circular investment, every scenario, the dinosaurs coming back, everything. Hold those.” (03:23)

  • Memorable for its humor and scope in expressing the idea of a robust investment portfolio.

• War and Economics Commentator:

  “The point of a war is to get rich. I'm saying if you start a war, you're starting a war to enrich yourself, yourselves.” (06:02)

• Investment Advisor:

  “There's a saying oatmeal is better than no meal.” (06:55)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:01–03:46: Initial answers to “How to get rich during war with Iran?”
• 03:46–04:53: Four “war-proof” stocks named: Costco, Walmart, Amgen, Eli Lilly.
• 04:53–05:19: ETF and sector recommendations: tech, utilities, industrials.
• 05:40–06:30: The uncomfortable reality and morality of war profiteering.
• 06:55–09:00: Macroeconomic impact of war, gold/Bitcoin as safe havens, and managing expectations for average investors.

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Tone & Style

The hosts maintain a candid, pragmatic, and conversational tone, balancing practical finance advice with pop culture wit and socioeconomic analysis. The discussion moves swiftly between specific financial recommendations and broader philosophical questions about wealth, war, and morality, making the episode both informative and thought-provoking.

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Takeaways

• For most everyday investors, personal enrichment from war is limited—but portfolio protection is possible.
• The best “war-proof” investments, according to the panel: Costco, Walmart, Amgen, Eli Lilly.
• Broader safe bets: Tech, Utilities, Industrials, broad-market ETFs.
• Gold and Bitcoin are favored as hedges against a weakening US dollar during extended international conflict.
• The show stresses the importance of thoughtful, disciplined investing over speculation—especially amid global shocks.

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Transcript

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[War and Economics Commentator]

are three ways to get rich during this war with Iran?

[Financial Analyst]

I don't think the war. It's a great question. I don't think the war is going to last enough for anybody that's not inside of that administration to get rich from it. So what should you have? Exposure to tech if you want to go gas, Exxon Mobil, which has been a great pick for a long period of time. And then thirdly, index funds. That's it. Now if you're outside of the market, real estate. But the thing about two tech to index. I designed it to outstand any assassination attempts or completions, any war, any famine, any pandemics, any 10 year droughts, any Ponzi scheme reveal, any reveal of asset erasure through circular investment, every scenario, the dinosaurs coming back, everything. Hold those. So you can add Exxon, you can add tech for sure. But unless you're in that administration, you're not going to get rich off Iran. You're not. Invest in gold, invest in Bitcoin. You'll be good. Here's my big lesson for you. Regardless of what happens regime wise, anywhere internationally, is your portfolio safe? The four stocks that I think are AR proof and war proof. Costco, Walmart, Amgen, Eli Lilly. I don't care what happens in a foreign country, those four will be okay. The question is, given your current configuration of what you have in your portfolio, will yours be fine? My phone was blowing up and I'm sure yours was like what do you think about the war? It's going to affect my, my portfolio. I'm like, how would that war affect your portfolio if you constructed it properly? Shouldn't.

[Investment Advisor]

Yeah, I was going to say the three ways you took it. I was gonna say indexes and ETFs and if you want to break it down to ETFs then you can just take three ETFs and say there goes the basket of companies that I'm investing in. Which sectors? Technology, for sure. I think utilities and industrials, for sure. I think those would be safe bets in this type of environment or any type of environment.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Right.

[Investment Advisor]

We know that those things are always going to. We're always going to need energy and we're always going to need infrastructure. And technology is going to be the reason, obviously, with data centers now, but it's going to be the reason that that infrastructure and those utilities are going to be needed. That would be mine. That would be mine. I hate the idea of getting rich during a war.

[Financial Analyst]

Big facts.

[Investment Advisor]

But those sectors should be fine.

[War and Economics Commentator]

But the whole point of a war is to get rich.

[Financial Analyst]

You have to be on the end. That's a great point, but this isn't 1990 where Halliburton doesn't want. Like, they're not going to allow you to know how to get in on those contracts even shouldn't be beaten up the way that it is as a result.

[War and Economics Commentator]

The point of a war is to get rich. I'm saying if you start a war, you're starting a war to enrich. To enrich yourself, yourselves. Tell us more.

[Financial Analyst]

Right.

[War and Economics Commentator]

Literally. That's literally the point.

[Financial Analyst]

Yep.

[War and Economics Commentator]

Yeah, so. So the whole point of war is to actually get rich?

[Financial Analyst]

Well, the entire point is for the 1% of the 1%. They're not going to pass the riches on to the American people. Yeah, that's what I'm.

[Investment Advisor]

Yes, for the people in leadership that make those decisions. I'm just saying the who and specifically like for who to get rich. Well, because some people will and are going to. We saw that today, and we've seen that over the course of the first year of this administration have made a lot of money from propaganda and creating scenarios and creating environments where it's conducive for them to make money. But I don't think that's the overall theme for.

[War and Economics Commentator]

Well, there's a. There's a. There's a. There's a saying oatmeal is better than no meal. So, yeah, you're not. You're not. No. Murder. No. Cheryl, you're not going to be able to benefit the same way that the. The people in the government's gonna be able to benefit, obviously. And I don't necessarily look at it as, like, benefiting from war, but I do look at it as if you're an intelligent person and you see something you can't. I don't think that it's morally corrupt to take advantage of something that you Just see with your own two eyes, you know that this war is costing $800 million a day. That's almost $1 billion a day. That's not even sustainable. So the, the US dollar is definitely going to get devalued even more because of the tremendous amount of debt that we continue to put ourselves in and we still haven't handled the burden that we already have financially. Gold. Gold is going to continue to go up. Bitcoin has at a certain point has to as well. It has no other option because it's an alternative to the dollar and the dollar's future is not sustainable as far as the value. The dollar is designed to get devalued. That's how it's always got devalued. It's accelerating even more. So, I mean, those are two things. Like, I think if you're just looking at it from an objective standpoint, you can say, I think that in the next 10 years, gold will be higher, Bitcoin will be higher. This situation will just accelerate that. Even if it's not right now, the effects will be felt in the near future. And in the future, I mean, you look at some defense stocks, you look at some other like I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to make a financial gain from an unfortunate situation because it's going to happen regardless.

[Investment Advisor]

Somebody's going to make money.

[War and Economics Commentator]

Somebody going to make money regardless. True.

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