The Rich Get Richer…

Bren Sheriff
Bren Sheriff



The Rich Get Richer…

Recent reports say the economy is now the top concern in many American households. Families feel it at the grocery store, gas station, when paying utility bills, and when trying to stretch a monthly budget. Official inflation numbers may tell one story, but everyday experience sometimes tells another. For many people, the cost of necessities feels far higher than it did just a few years ago. That raises a simple question: do the economic signals we hear truly reflect what Black households are living through?

This is not the first time the economy has gone through periods of uncertainty. For those like me who have followed markets over many decades, this is not new. However, there was a time when downturns in stocks produced a fairly predictable response. Investors often shifted toward bonds—municipal, corporate, or government—seeking stability and income while waiting for markets to recover.

I remember those years well, as a broker on LaSalle Street. The shift to bonds predictable. When stocks declined, many clients moved toward bonds because they offered structure and a sense of safety.  Back then investment decisions were not always easy, but the rules of the road were more widely understood.

Today, the financial landscape looks very different. Markets now include far more than traditional stocks and bonds. Investors have access to digital assets, speculative trading platforms, and other emerging vehicles that were not widely available decades ago. With so many options, the old patterns do not always apply the way they once did.

Years ago, one of the most important roles investors played was supporting economic growth in a direct way. When people bought stocks or bonds, their money helped provide capital that businesses and governments used to build, expand, and hire.

Corporate investment helped companies modernize equipment, open facilities, and develop new products and services. Public bonds issued by cities, states, and the federal government helped finance projects that improved everyday life—housing, schools, highways, water systems, and airports. In many ways, investors helped “prime the pump” for infrastructure that benefited generations.

One major result of investment activity was job creation. As businesses expanded and governments built public projects, employment opportunities grew. While inequality in hiring has always existed, there was still a broad belief that Black folks willing to work could find a job.

So, what changed?

Over time, some investment dollars began shifting toward assets that do not always generate the same level of job creation. During uncertain periods, investors often move toward assets viewed as stores of value rather than engines of expansion. Precious metals, especially gold, become safe havens for investors, but don’t create many jobs.

More recently, technology and cyber industries have become major destinations for investor dollars. The returns in these sectors have been remarkable, and many investors have built significant wealth through them. Yet compared with older industrial sectors, most modern innovations require fewer workers because of automation, software efficiencies, and digital scaling.

That creates a paradox. Innovation has produced enormous financial gains and transformed the global economy. At the same time, the benefits are not always widespread in the form of jobs. Over time, this can widen the gap between those with significant assets and those without them. The rich get richer, and the poorer get poorer.

The current “excursion” in Iran that most of us call WAR reminds us how quickly conditions can shift. Geopolitical tensions and international conflicts can ripple through markets and affect everyday life. The world economy is deeply interconnected and we all are affected.

Today there are millions of millionaires around the world, many here in the United States. That reality raises an important question: what happens to those who are not sharing in that level of wealth? What becomes of individuals who once benefited indirectly from the job creation that traditional investment patterns helped produce?

This question is not new. Decades ago, several writers explored how rapid economic and technological change might reshape society. Three books that left a lasting impression on me are Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison—the inspiration for the film Soylent Green—and Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Each book challenges readers to think about the direction of society, the pressures created by progress, and the responsibilities that come with it. Their ideas still feel relevant today.  I hope you take time to read them and let me know what you gained from them.

Sometimes the best step forward begins with reflection. Looking back at earlier insights can help us better understand where we are headed—and what responsibility we share in shaping that future.  Books help me to form a perspective on living.  You too?

In my view, modern investors are focused primarily on returns. That has probably always been true, but in earlier periods job creation often followed naturally as a by-product of investment. Today, that link is not as strong.

That reality suggests something important for Black communities that have historically been left behind. In Black communities, economic stability requires significant change in our spending habits. Too many of us buy what we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we do know, for reasons we can’t remember when the bill is due. It’s financial lunacy – it must stop..

We must rethink, not only how we spend, but most importantly – where we spend.  We have to STOP making people who don’t look like us rich.  Strong communities are built through intentional choices about where their dollars are spent.

When we spend, we shape the future. Where we spend, we make our future. Supporting Black-owned businesses is more than a purchase, it is an investment in ourselves.

 The best to you and yours,

Bren Sheriff, CSA

THIS WEEK’S QUIZ: Which partner, A or B, in a general partnership, is liable for a debt when only A signed the contract? 

Answer to last week’s quiz: If you add anyone to your life savings bank account as a joint owner, they have as much right to your money as you do.

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 or basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, or any other licensed professional advice, you should contact the licensed professional of your choice for advice on your individual situation.:

For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 or basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, or any other licensed professional advice, you should contact the licensed professional of your choice for advice on your individual situation.



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