By Brannon Howse
March 29, 2025

On my latest broadcast with Wes Peters and Michael Weiner, we dove into a chilling exposé from a researcher named Tiffany, who’s uncovered what could be the next economic disaster. This isn’t about banks this time—it’s about private equity firms, adjustable rate loans, and a $3.8 trillion bubble that’s about to pop right on top of your pensions and 401(k)s. And trust me, you’re not going to like where this is headed.

Let’s break it down step by step, because you need to understand how this shell game works. Private equity firms—think Blackstone, Bain Capital, the big players—swoop in like vultures, targeting profitable companies like Joann Fabrics, HVAC businesses, orthodontists, even your local nursing homes. They promise these companies the moon: “We’ll pump in cash, grow your business, and you’ll cash out rich.” Sounds great, right? Except here’s the catch—they’re doing it with adjustable rate loans, $3.8 trillion worth, according to Tiffany’s research. These aren’t fixed-rate, stable deals. No, these are floating rate loans that jack up the payments every time interest rates climb—and climb they have, relentlessly, over the past three years.

Take Joann Fabrics, for example. Ninety-seven percent of their stores are profitable—ninety-seven percent! That’s unheard of in retail. Yet they’re filing for bankruptcy. Why? Because the private equity firms loaded them with debt they can’t sustain as interest rates soar. The profits get eaten up by loan payments, and suddenly, a thriving company is underwater. This isn’t an accident—it’s a setup. The equity firms don’t care if the company sinks, because they’ve already rigged the game to win.

Here’s where it gets sinister. These firms don’t hold the debt themselves. They bundle it up into something called CLOs—collateralized loan obligations—sound familiar? It’s 2008 all over again, but worse. They sell these toxic packages to pension funds and 401(k)s, marketing them as “diversified portfolios” and “great debt.” The banks play along, raking in fees for issuing the loans, then offloading the risk. The pension funds buy in, thinking they’re securing their retirees’ futures, while the private equity firms cash out and walk away. When the music stops—and it will—the pensions are left holding the bag.

Tiffany’s numbers are staggering: $3.8 trillion in adjustable rate debt. Compare that to 2008, when $1.1 trillion in risky mortgages and $1.3 trillion in subprime loans tanked the housing market. This is three times bigger, and it’s not just housing—it’s everything. Private equity owns the largest chunk of the U.S. homeownership market, plus daycares, vet clinics, pet stores, nursing homes, emergency rooms, doctors’ offices, you name it. When this bubble bursts, it’s not just Wall Street that’ll feel it—it’s your grandma’s retirement, your neighbor’s 401(k), your kids’ orthodontist.

So why are they doing this? Greed, plain and simple. These firms bet on cheap debt staying cheap forever, gorging on 0% interest rates like pigs at a trough. They thought they could refinance indefinitely, pocketing fat fees while passing the risk downstream. When rates shot up, they didn’t flinch—they’d already sold the land out from under these companies, stripped the assets, and made themselves whole. The banks? They’re happy to play ball, knowing they won’t hold the loans. The pension funds? Reckless, buying this junk to prop up their books with fake 10-year projections. Everyone’s kicking the can down the road, and we’re the ones who’ll pay when it hits the wall.

Here’s the kicker: they know we won’t let the banks fail again—riots would erupt. But pensions? Oh, they’ve got us there. Who’s going to say no to bailing out grandma and grandpa? Not 80% of Americans with skin in the game—pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs. That’s why this is a $50-60 trillion problem waiting to happen, dwarfing 2008. And when it does, the government—meaning you, the taxpayer—will foot the bill. Again.

Now, I’ve got no sympathy for those who played this game. At 19, I told a financial planner pushing a 401(k), “No way.” Why? Because I saw the risk—someone else controlling my money, investing it in who-knows-what, with no guarantee I’d see a dime when the system implodes. I invested in myself—my businesses, my publishing, my TV production—and I’ve never looked back. If you took the risk and it burns you, don’t expect me to cry when my tax dollars or inflated currency have to bail you out. You rolled the dice; I didn’t.

But for those waking up now, there’s still time to act. If you’re over 59½, you can pull your money out of these paper traps—pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs—and diversify into something real, like gold or silver. Reagan saw this coming; that’s why he pushed precious metals IRAs. Gold’s at $3,060 an ounce today, up from $800 in the ‘80s, and it’s not tied to some private equity Ponzi scheme. Wes says 50% diversification makes sense in these times; I say do what you’re comfortable with, but don’t wait. The banks don’t own your money—yet. Get it off the grid, into your hands, before the dominoes fall.

Tiffany’s sounding the alarm, and Trump’s sniffing around the carried interest loophole that lets these firms pay peanuts in taxes—20% capital gains instead of 37% ordinary income. If he closes it, maybe we can choke off this beast. But don’t hold your breath—politicians love their corporate donors too much. Until then, it’s buyer beware, just like Greg Brady’s clunker. You’ve been warned. Get informed at worldviewgold.com—free packet, no obligation. Protect yourself, because no one else will. 

WATCH FULL INTERVIEW: https://worldviewtube.com/tv/video/next-financial-collapse-private-equi…