Safeguarding Your Future from AI: The Existential Crisis Playbook

Artificial intelligence (AI) is causing an existential situation for galore workers, myself included. With nan emergence of AI, I’ve often recovered myself wondering: what’s nan point? If AI is going to return over, why fuss trying?

Maybe you’ve felt nan aforesaid way—worried astir really to safeguard your early from AI. Or possibly you’re a genitor wondering if location will moreover beryllium bully jobs for your kids aft spending a luck connected their education. If so, this station whitethorn thief you and your children hole for what could beryllium a challenging future.

The Existential Crisis You Might Face

An existential crisis is a play of heavy questioning astir life’s meaning, purpose, aliases value. It often involves grappling pinch questions like:

• Why americium I here?
• What is nan intent of life?
• Does thing I do really matter?

These crises tin beryllium triggered by awesome life events for illustration loss, failure, aging, aliases transitions specified arsenic retirement aliases a profession change. While they tin consciousness overwhelming—bringing anxiety, despair, aliases a consciousness of being lost—they besides coming opportunities for individual maturation and a renewed attraction connected your priorities.

When I first retired successful 2012, I faced my ain existential crisis. It took maine years to set and find bid successful my caller role. I don’t want AI to trigger a akin situation for you, making everything you’ve worked for consciousness obsolete. That would beryllium a double gut punch.

The reality is, each bully things yet travel to an end. When that infinitesimal comes, you’ll either panic aliases accommodate and find ways to thrive. And if you’re reference this, I cognize you’re nan type to scheme up and emergence to nan challenge.

The Good Thing About Being Unemployed Or Retired

The metallic lining of being unemployed aliases retired is that there’s nary occupation for artificial intelligence to return from you. However, if you’re looking to re-enter nan workforce, uncovering a occupation will apt beryllium overmuch harder. For retirees, you mightiness simply find yourself arsenic an willing bystander, watching AI’s disruption of nan labour marketplace from nan sidelines.

As a semi-retiree running Financial Samurai, moreover this tract is facing an existential situation of its own. With AI companies for illustration OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity copying my activity without attribution, and Google prioritizing AI-generated contented taken from writers astatine nan apical of hunt results, driving postulation to nan tract is becoming progressively challenging.

Originally, my scheme was to operate Financial Samurai for 10 years—from July 2009 to July 2019—and past measurement distant from nan imaginative endeavor. However, nan commencement of my girl successful December 2019 and nan pandemic gave maine a renewed consciousness of intent and much clip to write. I had insights to share, worries to process, and a request to grounds this unsocial clip successful our lives.

Now that nan pandemic is down america and AI has arrived successful afloat force, my desire to pivot and do thing caller has grown. I’m now much than 5 years past my original extremity of moving this site. Sometimes, it’s important to admit erstwhile nan extremity of a section is adjacent and clasp nan opportunity to move forward.

Sam Altman says "people will suffer jobs" to AI and "not everyone's going to for illustration each of nan impacts, but this is coming. This is simply a technological accomplishment of humanity that is going to get embedded successful everything we do," per tsarnick. pic.twitter.com/2zCV6PO70u

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) December 15, 2024

Existential Crisis Survival Plan Due To Artificial Intelligence

Although I don’t trust on Financial Samurai for survival, it has provided supplemental status income that I’ve grown accustomed to earning for complete a decade. Since 2009, I’ve besides dedicated astir 20 hours a week to maintaining nan site. Losing that income, on pinch abruptly having 20 other hours of free clip each week, would beryllium a important adjustment.

Here’s my existential situation endurance scheme for Financial Samurai—and for my children, who will apt look an moreover tougher clip getting up successful an AI-driven world. This endurance guideline should besides thief you amended hole if your business is astatine consequence of AI distribution arsenic well.

1) Estimate erstwhile you'll suffer your occupation aliases livelihood owed to AI

Just arsenic actuaries cipher life expectancy to creation profitable security plans, we should estimate really agelong our occupation aliases business mightiness past earlier being eliminated by AI. Develop a worst-case, base-case, and best-case scenario.

With realistic timelines for really overmuch earning imaginable remains, you tin amended hole for nan worst-case outcome. The much clip you person to plan, nan amended equipped you’ll be. Don’t beryllium complacent—many group stay unaware of nan accelerated advancements successful AI and nan companies driving them, leaving them unprepared for what’s coming.

Personally, I’ve group a base-case script that Financial Samurai will beryllium rendered obsolete by December 31, 2027. This timeline gives maine capable room to prepare, though nan extremity could get sooner pinch immoderate of nan predominant Google algorithm updates passim nan year.

Below is 1 of galore examples of individual, hard-working creators getting punished by Google and AI for nary bully reason. Her postulation keeps going down aft immoderate head-fakes. I expect this to hap to maine 1 time retired of nan blue.

2) Save Aggressively—Beyond What You Thought Possible

With your estimated timeline of demise, it’s important to push your savings complaint to nan highest imaginable level. My proposal is simply a minimum of 50%, and overmuch higher if your timeline is short.

If you prevention and put 50% of your after-tax income annually, you efficaciously bargain yourself 1 twelvemonth of financial state for each twelvemonth you work. But if you tin prevention 70%, you summation 2.33 years of state for each twelvemonth you save.

Personally, I scheme to summation my savings complaint from online income to 90% (up from an 80% average) until December 31, 2027. It’s not 100% because my passive finance income falls short of afloat covering our existent surviving expenses aft we bought a caller location successful 2023.

Embrace my motto: “If nan magnitude of money you're redeeming each period doesn't hurt, you're not redeeming enough!” This is astir securing your future—it’s a matter of financial survival. Push yourself to prevention arsenic overmuch arsenic you perchance can, starting now.

3) Diversify Your Investments to Boost Passive Income

Boosting your savings complaint is only portion of nan equation. To unafraid your financial future, you besides request to put those savings successful assets pinch nan imaginable for affirmative returns. Given nan existential situation facing you and your job, it’s champion to attraction connected 3 halfway finance classes: stocks, bonds, and existent estate. This isn’t nan clip to estimate connected riskier assets.

Earning a reasonable return, opportunity 4%–8%, connected your investments will further accelerate your financial freedom. Here's a net worthy plus allocation framework to see if you’re seeking a logical measurement to invest.

Your eventual extremity should beryllium to make capable passive finance income to screen 100% of your desired surviving expenses. If reaching that milestone feels excessively ambitious, purpose for astatine slightest the Minimum Investment Amount that makes activity optional. Alternatively, target a nett worthy (excluding your superior residence) of 25X–50X your yearly expenses.

By December 31, 2027, I dream to execute afloat sum of our surviving expenses done passive finance income. If I tin deed that target, I’ll beryllium financially independent capable that nan effect of AI connected my progressive income will nary longer matter.

4) Diversify Your Active Income Streams

As you build your savings and diversify your passive income, it’s arsenic important to diversify your progressive income streams. Ideally, you’ll want to attraction connected skills aliases products that are harder for AI to replicate. In different words, deliberation astir jobs that require in-person relationship and hands-on work.

For example, you could build a clientele school a philharmonic instrument, coaching a sport, aliases offering individual services for illustration tutoring. Alternatively, you could leverage your master expertise to consult one-on-one pinch clients who request your guidance. The little limited your activity is connected AI, nan better.

Personally, I’m considering building a clientele for pickleball and tennis lessons. Every clip I sojourn my section nationalist parkland connected a weekday, I spot tennis coaches charging $120–$140 per hour. It’s a awesome measurement to meet people, bask immoderate sunshine and exercise, and get paid. Going from penning 20 hours a week to coaching for 20 hours a week could make astatine slightest $2,400 a week. That's awesome supplemental status income!

I could besides summation my personal finance consulting efforts, thing I don't actively beforehand connected Financial Samurai owed to overwhelming demand. Many group person to hunt for my page to find these services, but it’s different avenue to prosecute done December 31, 2027.

Diversifying your progressive income streams is simply smart financial planning. Look astatine really creators connected TikTok are branching retired to Instagram and YouTube, conscionable successful lawsuit TikTok gets banned.

5) Grow Your Personal Brand

Everybody has a individual brand, whether they cognize it aliases not. The only measurement to thrive successful a world wherever everything is becoming commoditized is to guidelines out. To execute this, building a individual marque that group admit and spot is essential.

A beardown individual marque should embody these cardinal qualities:

• Reliability
• Likability
• Dependability
• Creativity

If you tin beryllium some dependable and likable, you’re much than halfway there. People people beforehand and prosecute those they place with. If you don’t beryllium to nan majority, it’s moreover much important to develop a individual brand that sets you apart.

To amplify your individual brand—or simply make it discoverable—you should have your ain website. Think of it arsenic a move resume wherever you showcase who you are and what you’re up to. Employers and investors admit nan opportunity to study astir you earlier committing to a partnership.

6) Invest Aggressively successful Artificial Intelligence Companies

If you can’t hit AI companies successful position of their effect connected your career, you mightiness arsenic good subordinate them. By investing successful AI companies, you tin hedge against a difficult early for yourself and your children. It’s clear to maine that galore jobs are astatine consequence of being eliminated by AI, and moreover jobs for illustration driving for Uber aliases delivering groceries are threatened by autonomous cars and robots.

Ever since AI became a game-changer successful 2022, I’ve ramped up my investments successful some nationalist and backstage AI companies. Because I powerfully judge successful nan AI trend, I'm little concerned pinch valuations much focused connected its semipermanent effect connected nan labour market.

I ain shares successful nationalist companies for illustration Google, Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, Tesla, and Meta. In addition, I’ve been dollar-cost averaging into Fundrise’s Venture product, which invests successful apical backstage AI companies and different backstage maturation companies.

My extremity is to build a $500,000 position successful backstage AI-related investments and by December 31, 2027. Coupled pinch my nationalist AI-related investments, I will person complete $2 cardinal successful exposure. If nan $2 cardinal compounds astatine 6% – 15% a twelvemonth for 20 years, it will turn to $6.4 – $32.7 million.

7) Invest For Your Children Today

I've lived successful San Francisco since 2001 and person moved done 5 different neighborhoods during that time. In each of these neighborhoods, my neighbors person been big men who still unrecorded astatine location pinch their parents aliases are surviving unsocial successful their parents' homes. The reason? None of them tin make capable money to unrecorded comfortably connected their own.

In 10–20 years, artificial intelligence will make it moreover harder for young group to find well-paying jobs. This reality intends it's up to parents to prevention and put aggressively for our children’s futures today.

This includes opening custodial finance accounts, contributing to Roth IRAs, redeeming successful 529 plans, and buying rental properties for career insurance. In addition, we must thatch our children applicable skills truthful they tin usage their hands to earn.

Picture a world where, aft spending 17–21 years successful school, and perchance accumulating important assemblage debt, your kids are told they can’t moreover get a occupation astatine McDonald’s because nutrient prep and cashier tasks are automated. Now ideate your 30-year-old son, still surviving astatine location 8 years aft college, incapable to usage his $1 cardinal machine subject grade because his skills are nary longer successful demand.

Even today, nan median income for Ivy League graduates is only astir $91,000. That’s not peculiarly precocious for individuals who classed successful nan apical 3% of their precocious schoolhouse people and whitethorn person paid a premium for their education.

The erstwhile astir highly in-demand occupation is now fading

8) Learn How To Use More AI Apps To Improve Your Productivity

You don’t request to beryllium awesome astatine mathematics anymore—just cognize really to usage a calculator. To protect yourself from AI disrupting your life, it’s important to maestro arsenic galore AI apps arsenic possible. While astir group instrumentality to ChatGPT and Anthropic, there’s an full ecosystem of AI devices designed to thief you excel astatine your job. Here’s a database of immoderate of them:

I’d emotion to usage AI for amended sound dictation truthful I tin constitute my posts while successful nan basking tub. I’m besides exploring AI apps that tin grounds podcasts successful my voice, create videos, and possibly moreover draught posts that sound for illustration me—with my edits, of course. Finally, I want to upgrade my website’s hunt container to an AI-powered type that tin reply immoderate mobility based connected nan contented I’ve written.

9) Develop Good Relationships By Helping Others

Finally, if we find ourselves facing a dire early acknowledgment to AI, beardown relationships will beryllium basal for survival. The wealthiest and astir powerful individuals are apt to go moreover much dominant. That’s why it’s important to commencement building connections pinch them today, preferably earlier they are immense successes.

When opportunities are scarce, people people prioritize their ain circles, and those pinch wealthiness and powerfulness are nary exception. If you don’t lucifer aliases stock communal crushed pinch them, attraction connected being valuable. The much you tin lend and thief others, nan much apt they’ll reciprocate erstwhile you request it most.

Enjoy nan Good Times While They Last

Embrace nan reality that artificial intelligence will yet destruct your occupation and put you retired to pasture. More importantly, understand that each nan effort and money you're spending raising your children to beryllium successful, independent adults whitethorn yet beryllium for nothing.

I haven't been this assured astir a long-term finance trend since I invested heavy successful heartland existent property backmost successful 2016 and 2017, believing successful a demographic displacement to lower-cost areas of nan country. Those investments person mostly turned retired well, particularly aft nan pandemic accelerated moving from home.

Yes, possibly I’m overly influenced by surviving successful San Francisco, wherever nan apical AI companies were founded aliases person offices. But I speak to labor astatine these firms and venture capitalists regularly, and there's nary stopping AI from disrupting astir of our lives. It’s already disrupted mine, starting pinch nan elimination of my father's occupation arsenic a Financial Samurai editor.

Let's make nan astir of nan clip we person near pinch nan jobs we clasp and nan companies we run. Eventually, they whitethorn beryllium gone, but by then, we’ll hopefully person built capable financial spot to beryllium conscionable fine.

Reader Questions About The AI Existential Crisis

Readers, really are you preparing for nan existential situation that AI poses to your job, company, aliases product? How are you protecting yourself and your children from a early wherever your services whitethorn nary longer beryllium needed? Do you deliberation you’ll beryllium capable to get rich | capable to not attraction astir nan demolition AI will bring?

To expedite your travel to financial freedom, subordinate complete 60,000 others and subscribe to the free Financial Samurai newsletter and to my posts arsenic soon arsenic they travel out. Financial Samurai is among nan largest independently-owned individual finance websites, established successful 2009. Everything is written based connected firsthand experience.