Sometimes a $28 lunch is just a lunch. Other times, it turns into a national argument over whether America’s wealthiest voices have lost touch with everyday life.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took aim at "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O’Leary after watching a clip of O’Leary argue that workers earning $70,000 a year shouldn’t spend $28 on lunch because that money would be better invested for decades.
"What you have right now is people who are like O’Leary, who are completely separated from the reality that ordinary Americans are experiencing," Sanders said on the debut episode of "On Sunday with Jack Cocchiarella" YouTube show in May after reacting to O’Leary’s remarks. "They have no clue. They live in their own world."
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O’Leary’s original point centered on the power of compound investing.
"I can’t stand it when I see kids that are making 70 grand a year spending $28 for lunch," he said on "The Diary of a CEO" podcast. "That’s just stupid."
It’s Not Really About the Lunch
For Sanders, the bigger issue wasn’t a pricey sandwich.
He argued the comments reflected a broader disconnect between many ultrawealthy Americans and the financial pressures facing everyone else.
"Many of these guys, I don’t know about O’Leary specifically, many of these guys do not believe in democracy," Sanders told host Jack Cocchiarella.
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"Their attitude is, ‘Hey, I am worth a couple of hundred billion dollars. I have enormous power. I’m determining the future of the world. You think that I’m gonna submit to some vote that you cast? It ain’t gonna happen that way. I run the world, kid, and you better understand that," he continued.
Sanders added that many of the country’s wealthiest figures believe their financial success gives them outsized influence over the nation’s future, leaving them increasingly disconnected from the struggles many Americans face every day.
A Different Generation, A Different Playbook
That disconnect may also help explain why younger investors are increasingly looking beyond traditional investing strategies.
According to Bank of America Private Bank’s 2026 Study of Wealthy Americans, 67% of Gen Z and millennial investors believe traditional stocks and bonds alone are no longer enough to generate above-average returns. By comparison, only 15% of baby boomers and members of the Silent Generation share that view. Younger investors are also allocating a much larger share of their portfolios to alternatives and private investments.
That shift has helped fuel interest in companies such as Immersed, a private startup combining artificial intelligence, spatial computing and workplace productivity. The company says more than 1.5 million users have spent the equivalent of more than 2,000 cumulative years working inside its virtual platform, which is designed for devices including Meta Quest. Immersed also lists Meta, Samsung and Qualcomm among its technology partners and is currently allowing everyday investors to purchase shares starting at $0.79.
Sanders and O’Leary may never see eye to eye on whether skipping a $28 lunch is the key to building wealth. Their exchange, however, captured a much larger debate: whether financial advice from America’s wealthiest voices still resonates with younger generations navigating higher housing costs, rising everyday expenses and a changing investment landscape.
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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
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Realberry
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Immersed
Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.
BluSky AI
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is creating significant demand for data centers, power, and compute infrastructure. BluSky AI is building modular AI data centers designed to support next-generation AI workloads while aiming to reduce deployment timelines compared to traditional facilities. For investors looking beyond AI software and applications, the company offers exposure to the infrastructure layer that makes artificial intelligence possible.
Vinovest
Fine wine and rare whiskey have historically moved independently of the stock market, making them a compelling alternative asset. Vinovest manages authenticated, insured portfolios of investment-grade wine and whiskey starting at $5,000 — sourcing, storage, and insurance all handled for you.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.
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