Managing Through An Economic Downturn

Summary

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Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant

Episode Title: Managing Through An Economic Downturn
Release Date: November 6, 2025
Host: John Hope Bryant
Produced by: The Black Effect and iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

John Hope Bryant delivers a direct, clear-eyed episode focused on how to survive and thrive during an economic downturn, particularly for listeners in the Black community. Bryant shares economic warning signs, practical steps to safeguard and build personal wealth, and his signature “straight talk” on mindset and opportunity. He combines high-level economic analysis with actionable financial advice, drawing from his personal experience and philanthropic work.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Reality of the U.S. Economy

• U.S. as Economic Powerhouse: America remains the most robust, desirable economy globally, even as global leaders criticize it publicly but privately invest their own assets within the country.

  “America is still the largest, most robust, most amazing economy on the planet... We are the flight to quality in the world.” (03:20)

• Stock Market vs. Real Economy:
  The market is “roaring” driven in part by artificial intelligence (AI), but this optimism (or hype) is disconnected from struggles in real households:

  “The market seems to be disconnected from the real economy. The stock market is doing incredibly well. The real economy...much more muted in progress right now.” (10:50)

• Artificial Intelligence's Rapid Impact:
  Bryant likens the current AI boom to the leap from horse-and-buggy to automobile—only happening at ten times the speed.

  “By 2030, you won’t recognize the world as you see it. Everything’s going to be different.” (08:23)

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2. Economic Warning Signs: Where to Watch

2.1 Las Vegas – Consumer Confidence Bellwether

• Cooling Economy:
  Hotel occupancy, travel, and retail sales are down; fees are up. Discretionary spending is drying up, signaling Americans have less free cash.

  “When Vegas slows, it reflects national spending fatigue. It also is an indication that people don’t have free cash flow, extra money like they once did.” (14:11)

2.2 Florida – Real Estate Markets Are Softening

• Rising Inventories and Lower Prices:
  Listings are sitting longer, prices are dropping, and insurance costs are rising, especially in overbuilt coastal areas.

  “Florida has now recorded since 2012 the highest number of homes listed at any one time...with things sitting around much longer.” (16:40)

• Risk Factors:
  Storms, insurance hikes, and buildings at risk in places like Miami.

  “There’s some reports that some buildings are actually starting to sink in Miami on their foundations. This is not good news.” (17:58)

2.3 Black America – Canary in the Economic Coal Mine

• Double Unemployment, Rising Delinquencies:
  Black unemployment sits at 7.5% (compared to 3.8% nationally), and credit card delinquencies are rising fastest among Black and Gen Z households.

  “Black America is the canary in the coal mine. What happens to Black American households first, often happens to the broader economy next.” (23:57)

• Job Losses Among Black Women:

  “About 300,000 Black women lost their jobs in government and corporate America since the beginning of 2025. That’s a real number and that’s a real problem.” (25:56)

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3. Why and How to Prepare: Mindset and Moves

The Disconnect and Risks

• Many families are stressed (“too much month at the end of their money”), and the bottom third is already in trouble:

  “There’s only so much pressure you can put on the average family before they buckle.” (29:40)

• Stock market numbers are not telling the full truth about the economy’s health.

You Don’t Build Wealth in the Boom

• Bryant recites Warren Buffet:

  “When people are greedy, be afraid. When people are afraid, be greedy.” (34:32)

• “Business is not personal. Capitalism is a gladiator sport.” (35:03)

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Actionable Advice: Managing Through a Downturn

Bryant’s Five Key Steps:
(36:57–43:22)

1. Get Liquid & Stay Nimble
   • Save cash, build a 3–6 month emergency fund (even $500–$1,000 is a start).
   • Pay down credit cards to maintain flexibility and a strong credit score.

   “More than half the country don’t have $400 for an unplanned event... Saving $500 to $1,000 is a good start.” (37:50)

2. Fix Your Credit Now!
   • Tighten up before recession hits and banks cut credit limits.
   • Operation HOPE can help raise credit scores, reduce debt, and increase savings.

   “A bank will lend you money when you prove you don’t need it, or look like you don’t need it, or both.” (38:52)

3. Buy Low, Don’t Chase High
   • Downturns are opportunities: assets go on sale (real estate, stocks, businesses).

   “In downturns, assets go on sale. Watch Florida real estate for buying opportunities.” (40:10)

4. Upskill into High Demand Roles
   • Move into fields less likely to be automated (healthcare, trades, financial services, AI skills).
   • Take advantage of free or low-cost training (Google certifications, Coursera, etc.).

   “In recessions, the job market reshuffles. So I want you shuffling up, not shuffling down or out.” (41:00)

5. Start Something Small
   • Downturns are a good time to start a low-cost business or side hustle.

   “Your job’s not going to be taken by AI. Your job’s going to be taken by somebody who can use AI.” (41:08)

   • “Let your 9-to-5 job finance your 5-to-9 dream.” (41:30)

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Additional Opportunities and Mindset Advice

• Buy undervalued real estate, carefully.
  Seek “hood-adjacent” neighborhoods and negotiate thoughtfully.

  “I love areas that are like the worst house on the best block. Hood adjacent — yes, I said that.” (43:37)

• Negotiate everything: Vendors, leases, credit terms—downturns shift leverage to buyers.
• Invest in yourself:
  Education, discipline, intuition, common sense—these outweigh “book smarts.”

  “Education and discipline beat luck every time.” (45:31)

• Build community and networks:
  Start or join financial literacy or credit score clubs—Operation HOPE will soon launch national clubs.
• Mindset is key:

  “Wealth is not about money. It’s about mindset moves.” (46:57) “The world is shifting — you can be a victim or a visionary in it. Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re absolutely right.” (48:16)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On optimism with realism:

  “Don’t be petrified, but be slightly paranoid. Slight paranoia is a good thing. Be a realistic optimist.” (30:58)

• On Black America as a warning signal:

  “When mainstream folks have a headache, Black folks have pneumonia, even though we’re all sick.” (25:52)

• On opportunity:

  “Rainbows only follow storms. You cannot have a rainbow without a storm first.” (43:35)

• On mindset:

  “If you hang around nine broke people, you’ll be the tenth.” (47:55)
  “Money, in and of itself, is nothing but an exchange of value.” (48:45)
  “Don’t bet against yourself. Bet on your hustle. Bet on your discipline. Bet on your hope. This is hope with a business plan, and I believe in you.” (54:07)

• Shoe Salesman Parable:
  A short tale on mindset and opportunity—one salesman flees Africa because “no one here wears shoes”; his brother stays and says, “send me all the shoes you’ve got. It’s amazing. No one here wears shoes.”

  “Somebody saw the glass as half empty. Someone saw the glass as half full. It’s the same dang on glass. It just depends how you see it.” (51:41)

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Key Timestamps

• Main Show Intro & U.S. Economic Overview: 02:35–10:50
• AI & Market Sentiment: 07:45–11:50
• Warning Signs (Las Vegas, Florida, Black America): 13:30–28:00
• Wealth Building Mindset—Action Steps: 36:57–43:22
• Opportunities in Downturns: 43:22–48:00
• Mindset, Networking & Philosophy: 45:31–54:07

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Final Takeaways

• America’s economy is fundamentally strong but shows real warning signs at the ground level, especially in Black America, Las Vegas, and Florida.
• The key to thriving in a downturn is practical financial discipline, a proactive mindset, and a willingness to seize undervalued opportunities.
• Community, upskilling, and mindset are your biggest assets.
• As Bryant signs off:

  “Success is the best revenge.” (54:07)

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Recommended Resource:

• Operation Hope for free financial tools and coaching

Action for Listeners:

• Start a financial club, discuss this episode, and make a “Hope Commitment” to collective advancement.

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Transcript

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[John Hope Bryant]

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[John Hope Bryant]

To Money and Wealth with John Hope Bryant, a production of the Black Effect podcast network and iHeartRadio.

[State Farm Insurance Narrator]

Hey hey.

[John Hope Bryant]

This is John O' Brien. And this is Money and Wealth. Every week bringing to you a new topic. My mentoring online, my ministry of finance and I just took some eye lubricant because after traveling my eyes were a little dry and I needed to make sure I was clear eyed because I'm looking at contracts and documents all the time and I need to make sure I'm always clear eyed and clear headed when I'm making decisions. The same thing I want for you. So sometimes you need more than just your own natural intelligence. You need data. You need somebody to tell you truth straight so that you can be clear eyed and clear headed. I don't want you believing the hype, I want you believing what's right. Now what's right is America is still the largest, most robust, most amazing economy on the planet. $30 trillion, give or take of GDP, gross domestic product, a big portion of the world economy. 20, 25% of the world economy. The flight to quality. The place where people who are talking mess about the United States want to come here. I'm sorry, they want their assets here. People in China talking mess about the US but you'll find that Chinese leaders see America economic system or real estate, our currency, our treasury bills, our bonds, our stock market, our businesses. They, they see us as a flight to quality and they are investing here. Russia talks mess about the United States but you'll find their leaders same thing. Iran talks mess about the United States, which you'll find again all of these folks if you look behind the drapery and the in all the pageantry and the drum, the drama of tv, you'll find if you're clear eyed and you're looking at the data, we are the flight to quality in the world. Somebody asked me about fiat currency today when I was speaking at the Black Enterprise Excel conference where they gave me an award. I'm thankful for that. Thank you. Bush Graves honored. My fellow honorees were amazing Robert Smith and Dr. George Frazier and all these great people. I was asked, you know, fiat currency, like is that a real currency? I'm like, well it's not about the currency per se. I mean fiat currency as relates to the United States is backed by the full credit, full faith and credit of the United States of America. It's not as absolute as a gold standard, but it's pretty dang on strong because currency in and of itself, of itself is nothing. But what is it backed by is something. And being backed by the United States government is again not perfect. We have our problems, but it is probably the best deal around. So why am I concerned? Why am I then suggesting that I'm going to tell you today what the headlines won't tell you. Why am I suggesting telling you there is a reason for some economic warning signs on the horizon or to warn you or to give you some advice around these economic warning signs on the horizon and that there is a canary in the coal mine here and it's black America in particular, but there's some other canary in the coal mines which I'll share with you and how you might win anyway because the world constantly changes and nothing goes up forever. The US as I've said before, has over the course of our history had three winners, right? You had overall gdp, gross domestic product, a winner always gone up over the course of history. Real estate values and stock market values. Now they go up and then there's a recession, they recede, they drop down, they recede to recede. There's a recession, they recede, right? The values go down and at some point they correct and when they correct, they correct above the line. That's been the history of the, of what we call modern America, the American, American economic miracle. It's, it's, it's, it's a miracle in the world, right? And I believe it's about because of her people. I believe it's because of the entrepreneurship and the innovationness and the up from nothing spirit and the fact that everybody's participating in this economy and you have the poor and the underserved like me who get a chance for the big ring. And no matter what your race, your creed, your color, where you came from, it's about where you're going. And ultimately you get a shot at putting that ladder, opportunity into the soil and climbing up and going to the top. If you have what it takes, you won't give up. As my friend Tony Rush would say, if you don't quit, you can't fail. The part of the challenge right now, while I'm a booster for America and I think we're going to work this out, is there are some challenges to these basic premises and we're going to work through them to make sure that we are. Because America's not a country. She's an idea that we're still practicing the right economic ideas. So one of the warning signs here concerns I have and my book, my friend Andrew Ross Sorkin has a new book out called 1929 that you, that everybody should read. I'm reading it right now. My friend Andrew Ross Sorkin from Squawk Box. I've done squawk box for probably a decade now. I think the leading business show in the world, the market, the stock market, was roaring, roaring right before it crashed. It was roaring right before it crashed in the 1920s. I'm not saying that that's happening now, that's going to happen now, but it is roaring. The stock market is roaring. And part of why it's roaring, which is different from 1929, there's a reason now why this market is roaring. It is. Artificial intelligence in particular, is a big bet. And I think that this big bet is actually proportionate to the seismic change that's going to happen because of artificial intelligence. I think that AI is akin to us going from the horse and buggy in 1850 to the automobile in 1910. That happened in 60 years. This will happen in six. By the year 2030, you won't recognize the world as you see it. Everything's going to be different. Everything's going to change. And so there's a lot of money going into artificial intelligence. A huge bet. So technology was a driver and so on and so forth before this. But this is, I think, sort of really supercharging the marketplace. And there's a lot of aspirational energy, a lot of hope, if you want to call it that, baked into the market. And the market has a lot of sentiment, sentiment baked into it. A market way of saying emotions. And I. And I. And again, I've said whenever you make an emotional decision, you probably made a bad one. And so we don't know if it's going to be. We don't know when there's going to be a crash. To quote my friend Andrew Rossorker, we just know there will be one. We don't know how big, but it will. Correct. And the market, I think, is warm. It's not overheated, but it's. It's warm. I mean, and it seems to be disconnected from the real economy. So we get into that. So the market economy, the real estate, the stock market is doing is roaring, just doing incredibly well. The real economy is much more muted in its progress right now. A lot of people are hurting folks with too much month at the end of their money. And these two signals seem to be missing each other. One seems to be they're operating almost indifferent universes. And that's not a good sign. Too much hype, too much speculation in the market. Now, should you go running around and grabbing your money out of the stock market? Absolutely not, in my opinion. You have, if you're invested in fundamentals, not flaky stuff. This is no time for flaky stuff. But you invest in fundamentals. Those were always, in my opinion, be good. I also invest alongside really, really, really successful people. And there's certain things I can say on this podcast and certain things, as blunt as I am, I can't say. But that's a very short list, by the way. But I don't want to get into a debate with people about what's really going on. But suffice to say, there's a herd mentality also on Wall street, right? And so if you invest with the herd, certain herds, you tend to have some protection. Since you can read between the lines and what I'm saying, the market can still crash, but it's less likely if you do the things I just mentioned to crash on you, at least not in a way that that's permanent. It might dip. And I ride those dips because when they correct, they tend to, again, as I said earlier, tend to correct above the line. This may take a minute. It's not for the, it's not for the faint of heart. But this is no time for speculative, speculative flaky stuff. This is time for you again, the things that you need every day, things everybody else need every day. Okay, let me now get into the details of why I, while I'm optimistic, while I have some concerns. So if you want to understand the health of the American economy, you don't ask Wall Street. You ask a single mother in South Central Los Angeles, like my mother, God rest her soul, Juanita Smith. The stock market, yes, is climbing, but the streets are whispering something else. You just have to know what to listen for. We're going to pull back the curtain a little bit on some early warning signs, signals that the economic ground may be shifting a bit. More importantly, I'll show you how to protect yourself in these times and even advance yourself in the midst of the storm. So let me tell you about three warning signs that I believe are flashing yellow. The first warning sign, the flashing yellow on the economy, and these tend to be early signals for economic slowdowns, is Las Vegas. And I'm gonna go be in Las I'll be in Las Vegas within the week on business. So I'll be being able to take a look for myself when I'm there. But I've done enough research to tell you this with certainty or with confidence. Jealous. The Las Vegas economy is cooling off, hotel occupancy down, and fees are up, which is one of the reasons why occupancy is down, it's profit taking and a little bit of gouging going on in my opinion of some of the operators there, which I think they're winning the battle and losing the war. Air travel, hotel occupancy, retail, food and beverage sales, all dropping. What did I tell you before about the economy? The economy. 70% consumer spending, 70 and 90% of all GDP gross domestic product for the United States of America is in MSAs metropolitan areas, cities.

[State Farm Insurance Narrator]

Right.

[John Hope Bryant]

And Las Vegas is a microcosm for consumer confidence in the nation and more importantly, discretionary spending. When Vegas slows, it reflects national spending fatigue. It also is an indication that people don't have free cash flow, extra money like they once did. It also suggest people may not have the confidence that they once had because they're not coming and just blowing money or profiling or flat, being flashy or rewarding themselves with a weekend or week in Las Vegas or the playground, you know, for the four adults, Las Vegas number two flashing yellow signal. The state that I'm in right now. I'm on travel for business. Just spoke at the Excel Men's conference, Men's Summit for black enterprise. Received an award from them as I mentioned earlier. So proud to be associated with that award. And Dr. George Frazier, Fred Smith, sorry Robert Smith, friend of mine, leading billionaire philanthropist, businessman in the country. The, you know, just so many heroes. And she rose on the stage together. People I admire and respect. That was in Orlando. I'm now in another part of, of Florida which I'll report on later. But you see in Florida market is starting to crack just a little bit. Inventories, home real estate inventory listings. Inventory is rising. Listings of real estate, single family homes in particular and condos all in particular are sitting longer. Values are softening, meaning values are getting people able to ask for less for their home. They're even lowering their listing price. In particular. Florida has now recorded since 2012 the highest number of homes listed at any one time for the longest period. But just, just the first thing listed at any one time, more than 170,000 homes listed, residences listed for sale. With things sitting around much longer. And supply and demand means the more supply, sorry, the more supply, the weaker the demand. The lowering the prices, the, you know, the softening of the market. This is particularly acute in overbuilt or investor heavy regions of Florida. I'm not going to start picking on regions. I don't want you investing or not investing because I told you that an area is softening or is strong or Whatever. You can go do your own research. What I just told you about Florida is generally true. And these coastal dynamic areas that feed on aspiration, Las Vegas and Florida are bellwethers right now. They've also had Florida higher, been dealing with higher mortgage rates. Here's a big one, Higher insurance premiums because they're dealing with these storms and natural disasters, which has really ravaged the balance sheets. And you had buildings literally collapse on coasts in Florida. And there's some reports that some buildings are actually starting to sink in Miami on their foundations. This is not good news. And makes insurance companies. I just did a podcast on insurance. Go back and watch that great guy I did that podcast with who told you truth to power. But insurance companies get nervous in these environments and premiums go up, migration is slowing down. People of color, people of minorities, whatever, may not feel all that welcome right now. And so that's slowing down. And this is equaling unsustainable real estate prices. So you even have real estate on the coast, on the beach, prime real estate that is price compressed. Prices are actually being deep. Values are going down in some of these beachfront coastal areas, which I find stunning. But people are just like, I'm good. I think I'll. I think that's too much risk for me. I'm going to move inland, right? Or move to the mountains or move to another coastal area. But historically, Florida has been a leading indicator for housing shifts. Now, I'm not telling you to run away from Florida. I love Florida. I'm considering buying something for the family in Florida myself. I'm not concerned about areas near the water. We own property on the water in Turks and Caicos. But I am telling you, there's a time to be cautious and there's a time to be assertive. And I'm gonna tell you about the assertiveness. But at the moment, I want you to be cautious in this area specifically, but also be cautious in how you move, period. During this period, no pun intended, the.

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[John Hope Bryant]

Here'S a strongest yellow blinking light it's my opinion Black America. Black America is We are the canary in the coal mine. This has been something that economists have agreed on for a very long time. Black America is a signal. It's a post check on whether there's problems that could be coming for the larger economy. Black America unemployment right now is sitting at around 7.5%. Hello. Compared to 3.8% national average for unemployment. So dang, they're double. And the number doesn't seem to be getting better. Right? Credit card delinquencies are rising fastest amongst African Americans and Gen Z households of all races. The credit card. I'm going to do a whole piece just on credit cards, by the way, so watch for that in the next week or two. Credit card debt is rivaling student loan debt in the amount that is owed in this country. It's unbelievable. And people are starting to pay late or not pay at all. That's not a good sign. Or have higher balances historically over black Americans historically over represented invulnerable job sectors with less wealth cushion, customer service, fast food things with a high school education. Things with less technological interaction. I hope that we're going to change all that in some work that Operation Hope and others will be launching at the Hope Level forum here soon. So stay tuned for that. But what happens to Black American households first often happens to the broader economy next. Or put another way, when black folks have a headache. Sorry, when mainstream folks have a headache, black folks have pneumonia even though we're all sick. 3 and this is not funny. I'm saying this in all seriousness now. I'm really. I mean I don't like this Nick stat at all about 300,000 black women lost their jobs in government and corporate America since the beginning of 2025. I had to like go back and recheck that number because I just found that absolutely stunning. I thought it was, okay, 3,000 30,000. No, 300,000. That's a real number and that's a real problem. Women are dang near a third of the U.S. economy in the U.S. by the way, about $8 trillion. The economy does not break down all at once. It breaks down at the bottom first. And that's where the warning bells are ringing. At least the yellow light is flashing. So what does this mean and what's coming? It may mean that we're entering the late stage of an economic cycle. It may mean that we're entering a maybe modest recession. Could be a segmented serious recession. In other words, segments of the economy. I think the economy overall is strong, but 70% of this economy is consumer spending, as I keep reminding everybody. And there's only so much pressure you can put on the average family before they buckle. Right? And our leadership in this country does not, in my opinion, respect enough the constant post check on the health of the middle class and the working class as a leading indicator for how we should be course correcting. I believe almost in real time, but certainly with some sense of haste toward their condition. But that's not what this podcast is about. This is about the thing that we can control. So you've got strong GDP right now and S and P numbers, Standard Poor's, that are not telling the full story. The stock market is not telling the full story. As I said earlier, I think the stock market is disconnected from the real economy in many ways. The Fed is walking. The Federal Reserve is walking a delicate tightrope. They're in charge of interest rates and trying to mitigate an overheated or stalling economy. And so they're walking this tightrope between inflation, managing inflation versus stability and if they think that inflation's out of control, they raise interest rates to dampen demand to, to, to, to stop it from overheating. They might lower interest rates if they think the economy is starting to sputter into stall to get economic energy going. Because they, they do realize that the economy is, is ginned up and generated by large amounts of consumer spending in consumer health. A soft landing here is not guaranteed. So don't be petrified, but be slightly paranoid. Slight paranoia is a good thing. You still be optimistic. You can be an optimist. You can be a realistic optimist, which is what I Believe I am. The bottom third of the economy is already feeling real economic strain. That's my client at Operation Hope. So we evaluate them, we talk to them on a regular basis. And my reports are that folks are experiencing some economic strain. They got too much month at the end of their money. It's probably you listening to this podcast, watching this video. Can I get an amen? Right? Are you saying yes, sir, right now? And you see clips of this on social media, Hit me with some comments, let me know your opinion, how you're doing. So you don't have to panic, but you do have to have a plan, right? You don't have to panic, but you do need to plan how to win in a down market. You don't build wealth in the boom. You don't build wealth in a boom time, right? Unless you are a billionaire and you can throw tons of money to ride an existing wave. But most of us, 99, 9% of everybody, that's not the way you flow. And by the way, that last way I just told you can win big or you can lose big. Even if you're a billionaire, multi billionaire, you don't build wealth in a boom, you build in the bust. If you're ready. So as Warren Buffett once said, when people are greedy, be afraid. When people are afraid, be greedy. Business is not personal. Capitalism is a gladiator sport. So I want you to now I'm going to say some things now. I don't want you taking this personal. I don't want you feeling like I'm being insensitive. You know, if somebody's going to lose their house, God bless them. But that is not your doing and I didn't do it. And it's not nothing to do with us. It has to do with their particular situation. But if somebody's going to lose their house or they need to sell their business or whatever, you know, they may lose something. And the question is, can you benefit? Can you have a rainbow in the midst of that storm? Okay, so one, I want you to get liquid and stay nimble. This is number one, save cash while others spend it. Build a three to six month emergency fund. Start with 500 to $1,000. Right? There's over half of this country don't have $400 for an unplanned event. So saving 500 to $1,000 is a good, good start. You're ahead of most people. Three to six months of an emergency fund, keep credit cards paid down to improve your credit score and your financial flexibility. So a credit Card is the thing that impacts positively and negatively your credit score the most. It also can do the most damage to you if it gets out of control. Now here's a positive. You can keep the balance low, the balance relative to the limit. It also improves your credit score. And it is your personal line of credit in case things get tight or things are not right in your household or in the economy. That becomes some more reserves you can pull from in tight times to manage through on a reserve budget. You'll create again to manage through challenging times. So I want you to manage those credit cards and your credit score like a champ. Number two, fix your credit. Now. Recession equals tighter credit limits and assessment. I remember there was a downturn and I had a, a line of credit that was, you know, let's just pick a number. It was, you know, $500,000 and I owe, you know, $320,000 against it. I thought, oh, that's great. You know, I've got, you know, still X number, you know, a couple hundred thousand dollars of, of limit in case I need it. There was an economic tightening and downturn and the bank got nervous across the board and they just, one day, you know, they lowered the limit to $350,000. All of a sudden a 500,000 credit limit, which had a lot of flexibility. This is a long time ago, but the story still applies. Now. I'm basically up at the limit. I basically owe what. I basically have a limit for what I owe, and now it doesn't look so good. I had to pay that balance down. So if you, if we enter recession, it's going to be a tighter credit criteria. Don't take it personal. But if you fix your credit and you look, a bank will lend you money when you prove you don't need it, all right, or you look like you don't need it, or both. So I want you to, to really work on that credit score and Operation Hope can help you do it. We're raising credit scores 54 points in six months on average. Lowering debt $3,800, increasing savings $1,200 for somebody making $48,000 a year on average. Right. That can change your life. With the only nonprofit allowed to operate inside of a bank branch in US History. We're in almost all the major banks, and our job is to get the bank out of the no business. Are you declined for credit back into the yes business? Because we know what the bank criteria is to get you an approval. So work with my team. Download the Hope in Hand app on your Android or Apple phone. Sign up for our services. I prefer you to do it do digitally online so I can track to make sure that my people are being responsive to you. But you can also call them on our 1-800 number. I think it's 888388 hope. I believe that's our digital, our 1-800 number. But you, but you our toll free number but you can check it on with an Internet search and operationhope.org, of course you can go there, find a location in 42 states near you and go see them. Now if you go see them physically or you call them on the phone, I can't track. My team can't track whether somebody's paying returning your phone call. But you go download that Hope and Hand app we can track very accurately whether you've been responded to. Most of our people are very, very responsive but they're also human. I want to make sure that you are getting the service you deserve. And because we raised the money from our partners we're able to scholarship you into those entry level services so it doesn't cost you money. It's an investment of your time. We give you a scholarship to pay for the service initially. The point is it's period. But if you have a partnership with us, if your employer who has a partner with us whether you get more services basically deeper, a deeper bucket of services but you'll never get a bill from Operation Hope. So fix your credit. We can help you with that. 700 credit score means access to better rates when others can't borrow. Hello prime rates and access to credit. Other people can borrow or it'll be very expensive. Use operational free coaching Hope inside. As I mentioned earlier I told you how to do it. Number three, buy low. Don't chase high in downturns. Assets go on sale. Real estate stocks businesses fire sales. I mean some of the numbers I remember in the, in the 2008 economic crisis, I mean just giving stuff away. If you were liquid and had good and or had good credit, my God, you could get bargains. You also have to, you also have to have confidence the world's not coming to an end, right? And so you buy and you, you hold until things level out and turn around. In downturns assets go on sale. Watch Florida real estate. If value is correct it could become a buying opportunity for you. That's why I mentioned earlier I'm not telling you not to buy. I'm suggesting when you might want to buy. Learn before you leap. Don't sit out the whole game. Don't let the perfect become the death of the good, right? Don't sit there in navel games and have the paralysis of analysis. I want you to learn for you leap but don't sit out the whole game and wait the world, the way the world pass you by, you never going to have a risk free opportunity. It's not the way the world works. Number four upskill into high demand roles. Artificial intelligence. This is about earning a living in these environments. Health care, right? The trades that you can AI plumbing, you can't AI electric war. Gonna need those trades forever. Financial services, right? In recessions, the job market reshuffles. So I want you shuffling up, not shuffling down or out. Take advantage of free or low cost training such as Google certifications, Coursera soon. Hope AI. Yes, I said that Hope AI is coming. Watch for that announcement at the Hope Global Forum. Hope AI OpenAI, I believe has some certifications through their academy. Number five start something. Small downturns are prime time for starting a low cost business. Consulting, delivery, tutoring, content creation, digital services. I mentioned in a recent podcast I did on AI businesses that you can start with little to nothing and do it wherever you are, local to you and dominate the market. Watch that that episode I did on optimizing AI in a practical way. In your time right now, your job's not going to be taken by AI. Your job's going to be taken by somebody who can use AI. If you got a talent or a skill, you've got a product side. Hustles today, could be main income tomorrow. Or as I like to say, let your 9 to 5 job finance your 5 to 9 drink.

[State Farm Insurance Narrator]

This past weekend, like every other Sunday, you were on the court with the guys, playing ball. Just a pickup game, living out your hoop dreams. No triple doubles, but a mean set of threes in between buckets. One of the homies mentions he closed on a new crib. This is big. And while everyone's asking about the housewarming and making plans to celebrate, you're asking the real questions. Like has he spoke to his State Farm agent yet about coverage? See, home ownership is one thing, but the right coverage is the real game changer. Even more than your last hot streak is how you protect your legacy. Dropping buckets and bars on the court Estate Farm Agent can more than assist you with finding the right coverage for your new place. If you have a claim, your local agent can help you file it. Yep, that's right. Over the phone, in person, online or on the app, they're ready to help you and they don't drop the ball, if you know what I mean. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Diet Coke Narrator]

You ever notice how wild life gets when you don't slow down? From meetings to errands to your phone buzzing nonstop, it can feel like the day never ends. Sometimes you gotta stop and reset. That's when it's time to grab a Diet Coke. That crisp, refreshing taste, crispy as some would call it, allows you to make time for you time. Maybe you're wrapping up a workout, finishing that last email, or sitting on the couch scrolling. Or maybe you're catching up with friends, cruising through your neighborhood or enjoying a quiet moment nobody else can touch. Whatever your break looks like, Diet Coke can make it so much better. It's not only a drink, it's a signal to take a breather, reset and remind yourself the moment belongs to you. Because when you choose to pause, you're choosing you. So next time life feels non, stop, hit pause, crack open the Diet Coke, take a sip, let the bold taste cut through the noise and remember your break is yours. Make time for a Diet Coke break. Diet Coke. This is my taste.

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[John Hope Bryant]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars.

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[John Hope Bryant]

So sometimes opportunity hides in plain sight. If you're paying attention, this isn't just a warning, it's a window. Right? And rainbows only follow storms. You cannot have a rainbow without a storm first. It's a scientific fact. So here's some real opportunities in today's market. I want you to buy undervalued real estate, but carefully. Again, I don't go buying mansions and mini mansions and all this fancy stuff. Be very thoughtful. If you buy a condominium, something that has shared walls with somebody else, make sure it's not an overbuilt area. In other words, everybody, sometimes when these developers go nuts, everybody starts building these condominiums and overbuilding an area because again, it's overheated economy, and they end up with just too much inventory. And now you got a wall shared with other people. And your property is not distinguished with a guy, a girl next to you. So buy undervalued real estate. I love areas that are like the worst house on the best block. Hood adjacent. Yes, I said that. Hood adjacent. If you're in Atlanta, you know, Atlanta, like midtown Atlanta, south of the airport, I think is an example of a gold mine. You know, south Central L. A, if you know Los Angeles, let me see. You know, west of the 110 freeway, all the way over to the 405 freeway. You want to get that far. La Cienega south, like that South L, A area, right? That's. And South L. A, even East L. A, I think these are. These are gold mines. Property there will continue to grow up there. Then your transportation, jobs, industry, businesses, entertainment, they have, you know, great infrastructure. You know, inner city in France is called Paris. Remember that, please. So these are typically undervalued areas of real estate that are centrally located. And people, older people maybe, or people with biases don't want to be there because minorities live there. But young, white educated people, young girls and guys from college, they're like, oh, these are cool neighborhoods. And they grew up with diverse people in sports. And they went to school. You went to USC University like that in the usc in Los Angeles, you grew up around people of color bother you and they love, they can buy this, buy a piece of real estate, their first home, at a reasonable, at an affordable rate. And that's how gentrification happens. By the way. Gentrification has nothing to do with race. Gentrification literally is defined as a movement of middle class values. You have people with educations and incomes and are starting businesses, they move in the areas and they start buying up the real estate. But in order for them to buy it, somebody's got to sell it. So that's a whole nother podcast for another time. Don't get mad with somebody because they saw opportunity inside, decided to move on it. You had the same opportunity and I'm encouraging you to do that right now. Homes that an eight unit apartment building my mom and dad owned and on Martin Luther King Boulevard, now it used to be, used to be Santa Barbara in South LA, they bought for $18,000 is now worth about $8 million. No one picked the building up and moved it, right? So I want you to be smart about buying undervalued real estate and negotiate better deals. Maybe in the, in good times it didn't matter as much, but now you can negotiate better deals because people are, don't have the income. Well, in good times you can't negotiate better deals because the vendors or whatever have 9 million clients and they are like, go, buzz off. But in down markets you can negotiate better deals with vendors, releases, even credit terms because now it's a, it's a buyer's market, it's a, you know, you've, you got good credit, you've got a good income, you've got a good profile, everybody wants your business. So again, supply and demand and negotiating. I told you, I've said before, capitalism is a table. You have a consumer on one side in this example and a capitalist on the other, right? And the capitalist's job, that's their job, is to get as much as they can out of the consumer in this example, while giving them the least value. That's their job. Don't get mad at them. That's their job. The consumer's job in this example is to get as much value out of the capitalist while paying the least for the product. That's the consumer's job. And they're not trying to rip anybody off. That's their job. That dynamic tension going back and forth between the two in this example, consumer or capitalist or consumer or producer is a negotiation. And a good negotiation is where everybody leaves a table slightly annoyed because nobody got everything that they wanted out of that negotiation. Invest in yourself. I mean education and discipline beat luck and over education just book smarts every time. Education and discipline beat luck every time. And, and wisdom and common sense and integrity and a strong intuition and a trained gut feeling beats out pure book smarts every time. I run circles around people who are much more book smart than me because I've got a practical knowledge that they can't compete with. Join communities. Focus on building together. Operation HOPE will be opening clubs around the country very soon and early in 2026. Join one of the clubs. Create a club for your own, a local co op or create a 700 credit score community club. You can go to operationhope.org and make a hope commitment to teach financial literacy in your local community. Teach it in your school or your, your mosque or your boys and girls club or your church. Teach it in your local, local K12 school or your college. Start a club. Start a, start a club in your fraternity or your sorority. Start a 7A credit score club, a 1 million black business club, a business club, a homeownership club, equity club, a stock trading club, investment club. But, but build communities where you're feeding off of, off of uniform of similar positive energy. Get the toxicity out of your life. As I've said before, if you hang around nine broke people, you'll be the tenth. Wealth is not about money. It's about mindset moves. Make the right moves now and you look like a genius later. Sustenance, every other poverty except sustenance poverty, which means a roof over your head, food on the table and reasonable health care. All other forms of poverty or mindset, right? That's why I've said before, if you give a homeless guy a million dollars and don't do anything else, all you do is give a homeless person a million dollars. He's likely to be broke in six months. That hurts people's feelings when I say it, but it's just absolutely the truth. Because nothing changes in your brain. Nothing's going to change in your heart, your soul, your way you make decisions. You're going to be broke. Because money, money in and of itself is nothing but an exchange of value. I can take all the wealthy people in the world and all their money and give it to everybody in this socialist dream. Every poor person, struggling person in the world. And the reality is in three years, that's all that happens. We'll have the money all back again because nothing changed in your mindset, right? And people just think that having that dollar, having that bag Having that cash, having that money is everything is. No, it's not. That's why you have an NFL. 70% of all those in professional sports, NFL, NBA are bankrupt in five years after retirement. And 60 to 70% of those people are also divorced. Because money in and of itself is not enough. You need that mindset. So the world is shifting. You can be a victim of it or a visionary in it. You can be a victim or a victor. Which one do you want? Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can't, you're absolutely right. I can't guarantee you that being positive is going to make you a success, but I absolutely guarantee you that being negative is going to make you fail. And again, as I said earlier, whether you believe you can or you can't, whether you believe you can't, you're right. And I want you to, when you're being run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it like a parade right over to round and do it. I want you to get to it. Rainbows after storms. You cannot have a rainbow without a storm. First, I want you to see opportunity everywhere, but I want you to see it. I want you to see the world around you with clear eyes and based on facts. Again, love my Melody Hobson. Quote from my friend Melody Hobson. I like math because it doesn't have an opinion. I want you to have an opportunistic mindset. Guy went to Africa and cable back after a couple of days. He was showed it was went there on behalf of a shoe company. Cable back after a couple of days. Send me home please, immediately. This is ridiculous. Nobody here wears shoes. They then found his brother who replaced him and that brother took the job and he flew over to Africa and immediately got lost. Like, I mean no one could find him. And he was, you know, two, three months, he's not reporting out. He's, he's just missing in action. All of a sudden he pops up and he says, I've been traveling the country. It's been an amazing place. I've just immersed myself in the culture and I've fallen in love with Africa. By the way, send me all the shoes you've got that you can spare. Send me everything you got. It's amazing. No one here wears shoes. Did you get that? Somebody saw the glass as half empty. Someone saw the glass as half full. It's the same dang on glass. It just depends how you see it. And life is what you see, right? So I want you to see opportunity. You don't need to get rich. You don't need to be rich to get started in what I'm talking about here. You just need to be ready. So visit operationhope.org for free financial tools and coaching. Subscribe Tell your friends to subscribe to this podcast and start having and create a little club. You meet once a week or once or twice a month and discuss what's being discussed on this podcast. Break each session segment down, each of these sessions, these weekly segments, and talk about what I'm talking about. This is my weekly mentoring session. People keep asking me, will you mentor me? John this is it. This is how I mentor. So start having. So build a club, right? Build a Bryant Club or an operational club or John Smith Club or Joe Blow or Suzanne Club. Name it after you name it your grandparents, I don't care. 700 Credit Score Club, a business club, as I've said earlier. But make a whole commitment online at operation. Org. Design it yourself and organize your thoughts and start meeting on something productive. And build a community of people who care about the same things you care about. Because eagles don't fly in packs. You've never seen a flock of eagles, but you can create a network of egos, of people who think like you. Again, if you hang around nine broke people, you're going to be the 10th. The opposite is also true. Success breeds more success, and failure does the same. Tell your friends and your family members to subscribe to this podcast. It's top 50 for entrepreneurship in the country on Apple. Thank you for that. Let's keep it rising in the ranks and let's start a movement of civil rights. From civil rights to civil rights, from the streets to the suites. Don't bet against yourself. Bet on your hustle. Bet on your discipline. Bet on your hope. This is hope with a business plan, and I believe in you. This is John o'. Brien. This is Money and Wealth, and this has been a segment on how to manage in tough, potentially down times. Don't get mad, get even. And success is the best revenge.

[State Farm Insurance Narrator]

I'm out.

[Diet Coke Narrator]

Foreign.

[John Hope Bryant]

Wealth with John o' Brien is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Sa.

[State Farm Insurance Narrator]

You'Ve been working in the garage with your dad every week, Monday to Sunday, trying to get the old school up and running. Today, after all the hard work, y' all finally finished it. Even better, your dad says all your son. Yep. Same car that belongs to your grandpa that your dad helped him fix. To really keep the tradition going, you need to get State Farm Insurance just like them generation to generation. Remember to choose the agents that your family counted on. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

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[Diet Coke Narrator]

10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line.

[John Hope Bryant]

But first, there the last one.

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[John Hope Bryant]

You know what a girl's best friend is? Not diamonds. Her lawyers.

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[John Hope Bryant]

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Make it ring. Showtime, ladies. Stand up straight, then breeze into that.

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