Podcast Summary: Earn Your Leisure

Episode: Why 2026 Will Be a Market Rollercoaster: How to Prepare and Win
Hosts: Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings
Date: December 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on financial forecasts for 2026, focusing on why next year may bring significant market volatility and how listeners can strategically prepare and benefit. The hosts and expert contributors break down macroeconomic factors, industry trends, investment strategies, and the importance of long-term thinking in wealth creation. The conversation is dynamic and motivational, urging listeners to become "asset hoarders" and to act decisively rather than succumbing to fear or hesitation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Outlook for 2026

• 2026 Forecast: Tumultuous, but Potentially Positive
  [03:08] Investment Strategist notes the year may see either a steep downturn or flat returns, but emphasizes the need to use the period for aggressive asset accumulation:

  "Your job is to accumulate as many assets as possible. Now you gotta be an asset hoarder...if you believe in Bitcoin, it's time for you to pile into that."

  • Investors are warned of a likely "free fall" sometime in 2026–27, highlighting the need for preparation.

• Access Challenges & Information Gatekeeping
  [04:37] The limitations average investors face in accessing high-upside private equity or VC deals are discussed, with frustrations at the ways such opportunities are reserved for a privileged few:

  "They want to keep that 1%. It's like, well, we gave you all the stock market...the 700 gainers that you can get before it even hits the market, we don't even want you to touch that."

2. Catalysts That Could Move the Market

• Tech Spending and Infrastructure
  [05:01] Market Analyst explores whether hyperscalers (Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Tesla) will cut back or increase spending. Consensus: they will likely spend more, driving further investment in tech infrastructure.

• AI Deregulation and Global Competition
  [11:41] Deregulation, particularly around AI, is highlighted as a potential market tailwind:

  "Deregulation is a word that keeps coming up and I think it plays a major part into the story of 2026 in terms of AI...our race to make sure we stay ahead of China."

  • The U.S. regulatory environment may hinder tech progress compared to China, emphasizing the need for more agile, state-by-state decision-making.

• Potential for Multiple Strong Years
  Drawing an analogy to the bull run of the late ‘90s, the hosts and guests observe that three consecutive years of 20%+ S&P gains could be in progress, referencing historical precedent for even stronger fourth-year performance.

• Midterm Elections as a Risk Factor
  The uncertainty of a midterm year is noted [13:55]:

  "Obviously this is a midterm year...we already spoke about how markets perform in midterm years as government changes and political offices change. So we'll be looking toward that in November."

3. Actionable Investment Guidance

• Long-Term Focus Over Short-Term Hype [14:25] The advice is clear: true wealth comes from holding assets for a decade or longer, not just timing individual years:

  "If you're not willing to hold for 10 years, you're just talking, you're missing on too much upside to care about what was going to happen in a quarter or six months."

• Avoiding Fear-Based Paralysis [14:47] Hosts encourage listeners to shut out negative noise and remain disciplined:

  "They keep hearing about this crash. They keep hearing about we're going to recession and then it doesn't happen. And then you don't do anything because you kept listening to what people were saying."

• Using Downturns as Opportunities [15:03] Recessions and downturns are reframed as opportunities to buy assets at attractive prices, referencing the buying opportunity of 2022.

  “The recession if, if it, if it does happen. Or let's say we have a downturn. We just got to be prepared for that because that's when people are going to make money. That's the exact time when you should be investing.”

• Prepare, Don't Predict Preparation is emphasized repeatedly—both in technical terms (setting entry prices, being ready with dry powder) and mindset (staying optimistic, not letting fear obstruct action).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• [03:25] Investment Strategist:
  “Your job is to accumulate as many assets as possible. Now you gotta be an asset hoarder...if you believe in Bitcoin, it's time for you to pile into that.”

• [04:43] Investment Strategist:
  “No one's going to save you when you're in desperation because no one really gives a. That's why most people who have information, they're quieter than ever in gatekeeping.”

• [11:41] Market Analyst:
  "Deregulation is a word that keeps coming up and I think it plays a major part into the story of 2026 in terms of AI, specifically when we talk about... our race to make sure we stay ahead of China."

• [14:25] Investment Strategist:
  "If you're not willing to hold for 10 years, you're just talking, you're missing on too much upside to care about what it was going to happen in a quarter or six months."

• [14:52] Market Analyst:
  "They keep hearing about this crash...and then it doesn't happen. And then you don't do anything because you kept listening to what people were saying."

Important Timestamps

• [03:08] – Macro 2026 outlook; accumulate assets even in turmoil
• [04:35] – Discussion on private market access and gatekeeping
• [05:01] – Breakdown of sectoral catalysts: tech giants, spending, infrastructure
• [11:41] – Deep dive on AI deregulation and U.S.–China competition
• [13:55] – Midterm elections and historical analogies affecting the market
• [14:25] – Long-term investing as the cornerstone of wealth
• [15:03] – How to interpret and act on talk of recession or downturn

Final Thoughts

The episode urges listeners to act boldly, use volatility as a tool for wealth-building, and to embrace disciplined long-term investing. While the specifics of 2026 are unknowable, the strategy remains clear: accumulate assets relentlessly, focus on proven sectors (tech, index funds, Bitcoin for believers), and shut out both the hype and the doomers. Action, not mere education or prediction, is the pathway to winning during market rollercoasters.

For anyone navigating the coming market: Be prepared, accumulate, and think in decades—not just years. Earn your leisure.