Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.<\/p>\n
Amid a steady drumbeat of layoff headlines, many Americans have been questioning the state of the U.S. labor market. But the latest jobs report suggests the picture may not be as bleak as once feared.<\/p>\n
That much was clear on CNN, where anchors Sara Sidner and Matt Egan recently reacted in real time to the surprising numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis happened just moments ago. New data showing the labor market beating expectations in March \u2014 by a lot, adding 178,000 jobs,\u201d Sidner said (1), before adding, \u201cThe expectation was what? 60,000 jobs, and it’s 178,000? Wow!\u201d<\/p>\n
Egan echoed Sidner\u2019s surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe job market bounced back in a big way in March, and that is good news, really blowing away expectations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment in the U.S. rose by 178,000 in March \u2014 nearly triple economists\u2019 expectations of 60,000 job gains. The figure marked a sharp turnaround from February, which was revised down to a loss of 133,000 jobs (2).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%.<\/p>\n
To explain the rebound, Egan pointed to strength in key sectors \u2014 particularly health care, which he called \u201cthe biggest source of demand for workers in this economy.\u201d The sector added 76,000 jobs, with the BLS noting that about 35,000 workers returned from a strike.<\/p>\n
Egan also cited seasonal factors, with warmer weather helping lift construction employment by 26,000 jobs, while leisure and hospitality added 44,000. Manufacturing \u2014 which Egan described as a \u201ckey focus\u201d of President Trump \u2014 also posted gains, adding 15,000 jobs.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the federal government continued to shed workers, with employment falling by 18,000 in March. Since peaking in October 2024, federal employment is down by 355,000, or 11.8%, according to BLS (2).<\/p>\n
Despite February\u2019s weakness, the stronger March report helped improve the broader trend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at the three-month average for job gains, that’s 68,000 \u2014 and that’s not bad, given that we’re looking at a smaller workforce because of aging demographics, because of immigration crackdown,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, that’s not a bad number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Feroli, chief economist at JPMorgan, struck a similarly cautious but upbeat tone \u2014 even as energy prices rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile there are always some caveats with the jobs numbers, we didn\u2019t see enough warts on this report to negate the overall rather favorable message,\u201d Feroli wrote in a note to investors, CNN reported (3). \u201cThis gives us a little more confidence that economic growth can weather the ongoing energy price shock without too much enduring damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
A stronger-than-expected labor market could offer a tailwind for investors. As Sidner noted, \u201cIt’s far surpassed expectations, which is usually good for the markets as well \u2014 they get a little bit of a boost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Should markets get that boost, it may reinforce a familiar theme: investors who stay focused on America\u2019s long-term growth story often come out ahead. If you share this optimism, here\u2019s a look at a few simple ways to position yourself for America\u2019s growth in 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n
The U.S. stock market has long been a powerful engine of wealth creation. Trump has pointed to that strength (4), recently saying \u201cthe only thing that\u2019s really going up big? It\u2019s called the stock market and your 401(k)s.\u201d<\/p>\n
The benchmark S&P 500 returned 16% in 2025 and has gained roughly 60% over the past five years (5).<\/p>\n
Of course, consistently picking winning stocks isn\u2019t easy. That\u2019s why legendary investor Warren Buffett argues that most people don\u2019t need to pick individual companies at all to benefit from the stock market\u2019s long-term growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,\u201d Buffett has famously stated (6). This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America\u2019s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active trading.<\/p>\n
The beauty of this approach is its accessibility \u2014 anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. Even small amounts can grow over time with tools like Acorns<\/a>, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.<\/p>\n Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: link your cards, and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference \u2014 your spare change \u2014 into a diversified portfolio.<\/p>\n With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 \u2014 and, if you sign up today with a recurring investment, Acorns will add a $20 bonus<\/a> to help you begin your investment journey.<\/p>\n Read More: I\u2019m almost 50 years old and don\u2019t have retirement savings. Is it too late?<\/a><\/p>\n Beyond stocks, real estate has long been another cornerstone of wealth-building in America.<\/p>\n In fact, Buffett often points to real estate when explaining what a productive, income-generating asset looks like. In 2022, Buffett stated that if you offered him \u201c1% of all the apartment houses in the country\u201d for $25 billion, he would \u201cwrite you a check.\u201d<\/p>\n Why? Because regardless of what\u2019s happening in the broader economy, people still need a place to live and apartments can consistently produce rent money.<\/p>\n Real estate also offers a built-in hedge against inflation \u2014 a key consideration as oil prices spike amid the Iran war. When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.<\/p>\n Of course, you don\u2019t need $25 billion \u2014 or even to buy a single property outright \u2014 to invest in real estate. Crowdfunding platforms like mogul<\/a> offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.<\/p>\n As a real estate investment platform that offers fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties<\/a>, mogul gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits \u2014 without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.<\/p>\n Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team hand-picks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide<\/a> for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.<\/p>\n Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Offerings often sell out in under three hours<\/a>, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.<\/p>\n You can sign up for an account and then browse available properties here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another option is Lightstone DIRECT<\/a>, which offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate \u2014 with a minimum investment of $100,000.<\/p>\n Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.<\/p>\n Over nearly four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles \u2014 including a 27.6% historical net IRR and a 2.54x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.<\/p>\n With Lightstone DIRECT, you gain access to the same multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal<\/a> \u2014 roughly four times the industry average. With skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.<\/p>\n Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise\u2019s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.<\/a><\/p>\n We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n Matt Egan\/LinkedIn (1<\/a>); Bureau of Labor Statistics (2<\/a>); CNN (3<\/a>); NTDTV\/YouTube (4<\/a>); Yahoo Finance (5<\/a>); CNBC (6<\/a>, 7<\/a>).<\/p>\n This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. Amid a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[5999,28,155,101,12469,2802,251424,37513,968,1170,251423,1169,724],"class_list":{"0":"post-569994","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-bureau-of-labor-statistics","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-dave-ramsey","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-expectations","13":"tag-labor-market","14":"tag-matt-egan","15":"tag-michael-feroli","16":"tag-president-trump","17":"tag-real-estate","18":"tag-sara-sidner","19":"tag-stock-market","20":"tag-warren-buffett"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}