America’s Breaking Point: Debt, Inflation & the Fourth Turning | Brett Rentmeester

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Dec 3, 2025

Brett Rentmeester, founder of WindRock Wealth Management, dives into the looming financial crisis America may face by 2026. He explains how we're shifting away from normal business cycles into a Fourth Turning, marked by debt saturation and affordability issues. Explore the staggering stagnation of real wages since the 1970s and the rising costs of essentials. Brett warns of the fragility in the market, especially with AI stocks dominating the S&P 500, and shares strategies for balancing portfolios amidst this instability.

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INSIGHT

Stagnant Real Wages And Rising Debt

Real wages peaked in the 1970s while costs rose faster, forcing households to borrow to maintain living standards.
That long decline in affordability has led to debt saturation and systemic fragility, Brett Rentemeester warns.

INSIGHT

Fourth Turning Framing For Today's Crisis

Neil Howe's Fourth Turning frames modern America as entering a cyclical crisis comparable to prior national upheavals.
Brett uses this lens to explain a potential systemic uprooting driven by loss of trust and debt limits.

INSIGHT

Money Lent Into Existence Forces Debt Growth

The 1913 Federal Reserve system creates money by issuing debt, meaning the economy must remain in debt to sustain the money supply.
Brett argues this debt-based design forces perpetual expansion and risks systemic failure as obligations balloon.

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💡2026 could shape up to be a historic turning point, make sure your portfolio is ready. Get a free portfolio review with Brett and the team at WindRock: https://bit.ly/4pOyoxb

Is the U.S. heading toward a historic breaking point in 2026? WindRock’s Brett Rentmeester argues that America is no longer in a normal business cycle, but instead entering a Fourth Turning–style crisis driven by debt saturation, collapsing affordability, and a loss of trust in key institutions. He joins Maggie Lake and explains why real wages have stagnated since the 1970s, how essential costs have become unaffordable, and why the debt-based monetary system created in 1913 is reaching its limits. Brett also warns that despite market strength, the top 10 AI-driven stocks now make up nearly 40% of the S&P 500, revealing deep underlying fragility. Finally, he shares his framework for navigating this unstable era: “One foot in the old system, and one foot in the new.”

💡Get To Know Brett Rentmeester: https://youtu.be/feoem3afC7w

💡Protect your wealth with real gold and silver through Hard Assets Alliance: https://www.hardassetsalliance.com/?aff=WTH

Chapters:

0:57 - As 2026 Nears, How Should Investors Brace for What’s Coming?

3:06 - If “Everything Feels Wrong,” What’s Actually Breaking in the System?

6:21 - Are We Standing at the Edge of a Fourth Turning Crisis?

8:39 - Why Are Basic Essentials Becoming Impossible to Afford?

11:37 - Is America Losing Trust in Its Money, and What Happens Next?

18:39 - Portfolio Strategy in an Age of Upheaval: Where Do You Even Start?

20:38 - ⭐️Wealthion Golden Nugget: What Big Monetary and Technological Shifts Could Reshape the Next Decade?

24:49 - Bitcoin vs. Gold vs. Silver: What’s the Real Safe Haven Now?

27:29 - Will Governments Turn to Higher Taxes, or Rewrite the Tax System Entirely?

30:43 - Do Stocks Still Belong at the Center of Portfolios in a Hard-Asset World?

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