The College Debt Trap Is Creating a Generation of Gamblers

Editor's Note

Why "Boring" Investing Will Make You Richer

The Anti-Degen Strategy: Automate Wealth, Stop Gambling 

If you have teenage kids thinking about college…
If you're carrying student loan debt…
Or if you're behind on retirement…

This email might be the most important thing you read this year.

"Degeneracy" Has Become The Default Financial Strategy

The launch of crypto demonstrated that life-changing wealth could happen in months, not decades.

Now we have Polymarket, Kalshi, and apps that let you bet on literally anything—election outcomes, war timelines, Taylor Swift's relationship status.

Gambling isn't restricted to Vegas anymore. It's on your phone.

This isn't recklessness. It's desperation.

Why This Is Happening

For three generations, the American Dream was simple:

Get educated → Get a job → Invest in America → Retire wealthy

That dream is dead for most Americans under 40.

Here's why:

Meet Jason.

Jason borrowed $53,000 for college.
Over 10 years, he paid back $70,000.
Today, he still owes over $50,000.

Interest is outpacing his payments. Unless he gets a windfall, he'll pay $120,000+ for a $53,000 loan and never escape.

This is debt slavery, not opportunity.

When systems stop rewarding patience, people stop being patient.

That's not a character flaw. It's forced adaptation.

So What Should You Do Instead?

1. Don't Go To College (Or Send Your Kids)

Especially if you can't pay cash.

Why? AI will take those jobs before they graduate.

Doctors? Your Optimus bot will diagnose better—for free.
Lawyers? AI will handle contracts and case law.
Surgeons? Robots in 12 years.

Buying a degree used to buy you a career. Not anymore.

The only exceptions: AI, chip manufacturing, material sciences, robotics.

Everything else? You're burning money.

2. Invest That Tuition Money Instead

Scenario:

You're planning to spend $100,000 on college.

Alternative:

Put that $100,000 into an investment fund at age 18.
At 10% compound growth:
They'll have $11.7 million by age 68.

Guaranteed financial security > uncertain degree.

This is what our family is doing.

No college. Instead, $100,000 into an investment trust they can't touch until age 50.

Even $25,000 or $50,000 in seed money beats a degree that leads to debt slavery.

3. Do The Opposite Of The Herd

If everyone's gambling on high-risk bets, do the opposite.

That's why I built Wealth on Autopilot.

Wealth on Autopilot: The Anti-Degen Strategy

The philosophy:
Invest Consistently → Over a Long Period → Into Real Assets

The irony:
People chasing the fastest exits destroy the very thing they're trying to save—time.

Wealth on Autopilot is boring on purpose.

Because boring compounds.
Because boring survives crashes.
Because boring is how you quietly step out of the casino while everyone else is still convinced the next spin will save them.

What You Get:

A 30-day roadmap to set up automated wealth-building using index funds and tax-advantaged accounts.

Set it up once—it runs for decades.

No daily monitoring.
No spreadsheets.
Just steady compound growth working in the background.

Results:

• Day 30: System running automatically

• Year 10: Six figures

• Year 30: Seven figures or more

This Isn't About Beating The System

It's about not letting the system beat you.

And in the decade ahead, that distinction will matter more than almost anything else.

Long degeneracy isn't a meme—it's a signal.

I could sit here and moralize about it, or I could build a tool that gives people agency when they've lost it everywhere else.

Wealth on Autopilot isn't a get-rich-quick scheme.

It's a get-rich-guaranteed system.

If you want to build wealth without gambling your future:

→ Get Wealth on Autopilot

Thanks for being here.
And thank you for choosing the right path.

Happy New Year,

Shelby Cannon

P.S. Every month you wait costs you compound interest you'll never get back. The best time to start was 10 years ago. The second best time is today.