This morning I took the recommendation of a friend and listened to a podcast (internet audio) by a fellow named Mark Yarnell. Mark has working in network marketing for decades and is one of those leaders that keeps up with technology, techniques and society. So when he has something to say, it's likely to be insightful and thought provoking.

In this eleven minute presentation he pulls together material he has read and conversations he has had with people who keep track of societal and economic change. What they're telling him will likely get the attention of anyone who thinks of the future past what they're having for lunch.

You know the divide we see in society between the wealthy and the poor? Are you familiar with how the "middle class" continually gets squeezed? Unfortunately the outlook for the future isn't looking a whole lot brighter for the middle and lower income classes. But now we have a rough time frame on when the middle class will be nearly extinct. How long do you think we have?

According to Mark Yarnell's sources, we have about fifteen years.

We have fifteen years to either save up $10 million to put in the bank and earn $25,000 per month interest, or to develop another asset that will put us into the "wealthy" class instead of the "poor" class. A lot of my readers will already be on the towards building something for themselves that will put them comfortably in the "wealthy" class within fifteen years. Part of my own plan is based on this MLM training course. Many of the successful people I know follow that plan or one similar.

But my concern with this theory of increasing disparity is not so much with the entrepreneurial minded. I'm actually more concerned about those who just don't have it in them to strike out on their own and create their own future. As it is, for a couple to stay in the economic middle class it takes both people working at least one job, and one of them being a higher average income like a physician, lawyer, engineer, etc.

If a family does not have one of these professional positions, and they are not going to develop their own business of some sort, then what kind of recourse will they have?

This is not to argue that everyone should be super wealthy. Not everyone even wants that. We're just talking here about maintaining your own home, having healthy food to eat, having decent health care provisions, and a living wage retirement plan. It turns out that these days unless you are considered wealthy you don't have access to all of that. In about fifteen years, what we consider "poor" now, might just be the middle class.

So what can we do about it?

For a start, we need to elect poliical leaders that are more interested in developing a prosperous nation than creating international disasters. Our national focus shouldn't be on trying to break other people down, but to build everyone up.

Think about the issue. Head over to Mark's 15 Years Podcast and take a listen. Then come back here and leave some comments. I would really like to hear your perspective.