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Governor of California Gavin Newsom is sounding the alarm on America’s growing wealth divide after Elon Musk crossed into trillionaire territory.

“Americans are struggling to pay for groceries and gas while Elon Musk becomes a TRILLIONAIRE,” Newsom wrote on X (1). “When the federal government is for sale, the rich get richer and everyone else gets shafted. The system is rigged.”

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The post came after SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, which pushed Musk’s net worth to $1.4 trillion (2), making him the world’s first trillionaire. The milestone quickly sparked a political firestorm, with Democrats using Musk’s fortune as a symbol of rising inequality in America.

But the attack also opened Newsom up to charges of hypocrisy.

After all, Newsom is not exactly struggling himself. He has built substantial wealth through business interests tied to wineries, restaurants and hospitality ventures, with estimates putting his net worth at around $30 million (3). In 2024, his family also purchased a $9 million home (4) in Marin County, Calif., complete with six bedrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, a swimming pool and a spa.

Critics quickly seized on those details.

One X user posted (5) a screenshot reading, “Gavin Newsom Net Worth $30 Million,” then adding the comment: “Spread the wealth.” The post has received 18,000 likes as of June 16, 2026.

Another X user posted (6) a headline that read, “Gavin Newsom family buys $9M mansion in posh Marin town,” along with the comment: “Sell your compound then.” That post has received more than 10,000 likes as of June 16, 2026.

To be sure, being wealthy doesn’t necessarily make Newsom wrong about the pressure on American families. So, why is his post causing such a reaction — and what can the average American do to take control of their financial destiny?

The items highlighted by Newsom are real pain points. Groceries remain expensive, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that food-at-home prices have risen 32% (7) since the beginning of 2020. Gas has been an even bigger shock, with the gasoline index surging 40.5% (8) in just the last 12 months.

And while politicians often blame the other side for the squeeze, the broader reality is harder to ignore: Inflation has been eroding the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar for decades, regardless of who sits in the White House.

In fact, according to the Inflation Calculator put out by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (9), $100 in 2026 has the same purchasing power as just $11.74 did in 1970.

That is perhaps the deeper lesson behind Newsom’s post — and the backlash to it. Wealthy Americans — whether they are tech billionaires, politicians or business owners — tend to build and preserve wealth through ownership.

They own companies. They own real estate. They own hard assets.

And in a world where groceries, gas and everyday bills keep getting more expensive, ordinary Americans may need to think more like owners, too.

With that in mind, here are three ways to fight back.

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Real estate has long been one of the classic wealth-building tools of the rich.

Newsom’s own financial story points to that reality. His wealth is tied not just to a government salary, but to business interests and property. And while most Americans are not buying multimillion-dollar homes in Marin County, the basic principle still applies.

Real estate is tangible. It can generate income. And over time, property values have often benefited from inflation, limited supply and rising replacement costs.

Even the object of Newsom’s ire, Elon Musk, has personally commented on real estate’s potential in an inflationary environment.

In a March 2022 discussion (10) on X about inflation, he offered a straightforward piece of advice: “As a general principle, for those looking for advice from this thread, it is generally better to own physical things like a home or stock in companies you think make good products, than dollars when inflation is high.”

Musk had a point.

When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.

That is an opportunity.

Of course, buying a rental property outright isn’t always easy. Home prices remain high, mortgage rates have made financing more expensive and being a landlord isn’t exactly hands-off work — managing tenants, maintenance and repairs can quickly eat into your time (and returns).

The good news? These days, you don’t need to buy a property outright — or deal with leaky faucets — to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.

As a real estate investment option offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, mogul gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or late-night tenant calls.

Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team handpicks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.

Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.

Sign up for an account and browse available properties here to start investing today.

Another option is Lightstone DIRECT, which gives accredited investors access to single-asset multifamily and industrial deals.

Lightstone DIRECT’s direct-to-investor model ensures a high degree of alignment between individual investors and a vertically-integrated, institutional owner-operator — a sophisticated and streamlined option for individual investors looking to diversify into private-market real estate.

With Lightstone DIRECT, accredited individuals can access the same multifamily and industrial assets Lightstone pursues with its own capital, with minimum investments starting at $100,000.

Musk did not become a trillionaire by leaving his money in cash.

His fortune has been built largely through ownership stakes in companies — Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) and other ventures tied to some of the biggest growth themes in the economy.

That is the part of the story ordinary investors should probably not ignore.

You do not need to found the next Tesla or SpaceX to benefit from business ownership. The stock market gives everyday Americans access to ownership in many of the world’s most powerful companies — from tech giants and energy producers to consumer staples firms and dividend-paying blue chips.

Critically, investors don’t have to hunt for the next Tesla or SpaceX to participate.

That’s why investing legend Warren Buffett has long argued that most people are better off owning a low-cost index fund than trying to pick individual winners. His preferred approach is simple: Buy a broad slice of American business, keep costs low and let time do the heavy lifting.

“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett has famously stated (11). This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.

The beauty of this approach is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. And if you have the right tools, investing in an index mapped to America’s future is easier than ever. For example, Acorns, a popular automatic investment app, can put your spare change to work by investing it directly into a fund tracking America’s best and brightest companies.

How it works is simple: All you have to do is make an account and link your cards, and Acorns will take over from there, rounding up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio.

With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and if you sign up today, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.

For investors interested in individual stocks, research tools like Moby can also come in handy. Their team of former hedge fund analysts does the heavy lifting — breaking down the market, flagging quality stocks and making the research easy to digest.

In fact, across nearly 400 stock picks, Moby’s recommendations have beaten the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average. Their research keeps you up-to-the-minute on market shifts and helps take the guesswork out of choosing investments.

Plus, their reports are easy to understand for beginners, so you can become a smarter investor in just five minutes.

At the end of the day, however, not every asset in a portfolio needs to be tied to corporate profits.

For example, when it comes to preserving wealth and fighting inflation, few assets have stood the test of time like gold. After all, its appeal is simple: Unlike fiat currencies, the yellow metal can’t be printed at will by central banks. It’s not tied to any one country, currency or economy, and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors often flock to it — driving prices higher.

For this reason, gold is often considered the ultimate safe haven.

In fact, Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, told CNBC (12) last year that “people don’t have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” adding that “when bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”

Other prominent voices see further potential. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has said that in this environment, gold can “easily” rise to $10,000 an ounce (13).

His prediction might not be so far-fetched, either, when you consider that over the past five years — as inflation has continued to chip away at the purchasing power of the dollar — gold has climbed around 143% (14).

One way to invest in gold that can also provide significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Goldco.

Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold. This makes it a compelling potential option for those wanting to ensure their retirement funds are diversified during rough economic times.

With a minimum purchase of $10,000, Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Plus, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver.

If you’re still curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today.

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We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.

X (1), (5), (6), (10); Forbes (2); Yahoo Finance (3); The San Francisco Standard (4); FRED, Federal Reserve Economic Data (7); Bureau of Labor Statistics (8); Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (9); CNBC (11); YouTube (12), (13); Goldprice.org (14)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.