Okay, so Robert Herjavec, Mr. "Shark Tank" himself, says if he were down to his last million, he'd dump it all into real estate. Right. Let's be real here.
He told Grant Cardone that he'd choose real estate "because desperate people do stupid sh-t—and you’ve got to take desperation out of the equation." Oh, the irony. A multi-millionaire lecturing us about desperation. Give me a break.
So, the guy who's probably never known actual desperation in his life is telling us that a million bucks in real estate is his safety net? That buys him an "income stream" so he can "go out and do other crazy stuff." I'm sorry, but that's rich-guy talk, plain and simple.
What "crazy stuff," exactly? Does that involve, say, buying another waterfront mansion while the rest of us are struggling to afford groceries?
The article goes on about how real estate is a "reliable path to grow and protect wealth," and how it "performs well during periods of inflation." Offcourse, that's what they all say. I'm not buying it.
Yeah, real estate can be a solid investment if you've got the capital to begin with. But what about the average Joe or Jane trying to break into the market today? The NAR says first-time homebuyers are half the share they were in 2007. Half! That's not a "reliable path"; that's a freakin' obstacle course designed to keep the wealthy, well, wealthy.
And while Herjavec's busy scooping up luxury apartments on Billionaires' Row and estates in Sydney, what about those of us who can barely afford rent? Does his "grounded approach to success" involve acknowledging that the system is rigged in his favor? I'm not seeing it.
They keep hammering on the "humble immigrant" angle, how he "didn’t grow up dreaming of fame or fortune, just wanting to help his family build a better life." Okay, that's a great story and all, but it doesn't change the fact that he's now part of the elite. And using that narrative to justify his real estate obsession feels… disingenuous.
I mean, good for him, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps. But let's not pretend his story is easily replicable in 2025. The game has changed, and the rules are stacked against most of us.
It's this: Robert Herjavec is a smart guy who made a lot of money. And he's telling us what he would do with a million dollars, which is completely detached from the reality most people face. It's not bad advice, per se, but it's tone-deaf and reeks of privilege. Maybe I'm just jealous, but somebody had to say it.
