Here are some things I have been thinking about that will likely be permanent changes to our way of living. Some will cause business and investment opportunities.
- Baby Boomers will move online. COVID-19 is forcing Boomers to buy everything online from groceries to prescription medications. America’s wealthiest generation, who has been notoriously slow to transition to the online world, is finally there, and won’t be going back to their analog ways. I’m pretty sure this will apply to my parents as well.
- Millennials may abandon the gig economy. Younger Americans will gravitate to jobs that provide more stability. After the living through the great recession of 2008 and now the COVID-19 recession, workers under the age of 40 may trade their transient employment patterns and consumption driven habits, for more traditional career paths and saving/spending habits that resemble their depression-era great-grandparents. My grandfather who lived through the depression never went “shopping” a day in his life. He passed away in 1998, with about $100K in cash in his wall safe and a couple of other places.
- Less is more. After being forced to ration everything from food to toilet paper, Americans will hopefully realize how much waste there is in our lives and will appreciate the virtue of simplicity. Today, I bought some take-out for lunch and pulled a twenty out of my wallet for the first time in weeks. Consuming less actually feels kind of good.
- Dodd-Frank will save the banks. Barring a full-blown depression, Dodd-Frank capital provisions for banks will protect most of them from a repeat of 2008. Talk of a full repeal of the flagship financial bill is most likely dead. Bank stocks could be a smart buy, but I’d still wait a month or two.
- The number of virtual business meetings will double. I didn’t know how to use Zoom before COVID-19. I have no doubt it will replace a lot of in-person meetings once this all passes. I also believe people will rethink their offices spaces. Residential real estate will bounce back quickly, but commercial real estate might be in real trouble in a lot of markets.
- Data on the environment will strengthen the case for action. I swear, every day in San Diego has been more beautiful than the one before. It’s like the earth is taking a breath for the first time in a bout a century. My guess is that carbon levels and other environmental metrics will show measurable changes to the positive when this is behind us. Will it convince everyone that climate change is man-made? I doubt it, but it will make the case stronger than ever and it might be enough to get the governments of the world to finally take the issue seriously.
There is no shortage of data showing the impact Latinos are having on the U.S. economy, from GDP and entrepreneurship to workforce participation and homeownership. So why hasn’t that growth translated into the kind of economic and political power our numbers suggest it should? In this episode, I focus on two things we can actually control: building wealth and owning our narrative. Cultural influence matters, but ownership is what turns influence into lasting power. And if we want the next generation to inherit more than momentum, we need a strategy for converting our work ethic, growth, and economic contributions into the institutions and assets that shape this country.
The World Cup reminded the world just how magnetic Hispanic and Latino culture can be. In this episode, I talk about why that popularity is more than a cultural victory—it is an economic opportunity hiding in plain sight. From music, food, sports, and fashion to the global appeal of our biggest stars, our culture already has the power to shape markets and influence how people see us. The question now is whether our business and political leaders are ready to turn that momentum into capital, representation, and lasting power. This is a moment we cannot afford to waste.
The World Cup gave Hispanics and Latinos an extraordinary global stage, but the opportunity goes far beyond sports. In this episode, I look at how cultural influence can shape perception, attract investment, and ultimately create economic power. South Korea understood this decades ago and built a global strategy around making its culture impossible to ignore. Now, the world has seen the energy, pride, and creativity of our community on its biggest stage. The question is whether we recognize the value of that moment and build something lasting from it.