Earn Your Leisure Is the Middle Class Over- The Harsh Truth About Money, Work & Power in 2026
Feb 9, 2026
A sharp look at how crises since 2008 reshaped housing, retirement and the shrinking middle. They probe who truly profits from modern finance and why trading gains bypass everyday workers. The conversation explores AI, robotics and the creator economy changing what work looks like. They contrast high-scale intellectual income with well-paying manual trades and who can build lasting wealth.
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Middle Class Shrinking Long Before 2020
- The middle class has been shrinking for about 20 years and 2020 accelerated that trend.
- Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings point to 2008 and pandemic money printing as key accelerants shrinking middle-class wealth.
2008 Set The Stage For Lasting Displacement
- The 2008 crisis created lasting housing displacement and a permanent renter class.
- Rashad says collapsing 401(k)s and panic selling removed wealth and worsened class stratification.
Inflation Amplified Wealth Gaps
- Inflation and money printing during the pandemic further eroded middle-class purchasing power.
- Troy and Rashad link these macro forces to widening wealth gaps and fewer middle-class opportunities.