The Future of Work May Belong to the Trades, LFG Daily - July 23rd, 2026

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The Future of Work May Belong to the Trades

For decades, the American dream followed a familiar formula:

Go to college. Get a degree. Find a professional job. Work your way up.

That formula worked for millions of people.

But the future of work may look very different.

As artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, and technology continue to improve efficiency across the economy, many of the jobs traditionally considered “white collar” may face more disruption than people realize.

At the same time, many blue-collar jobs may become more valuable.

Electricians. Plumbers. HVAC technicians. Welders. Construction professionals. Equipment operators. Mechanics. Technicians. Specialized manufacturers.

The irony is that the future may increasingly reward the people who can build, repair, install, maintain, and operate the physical world.

Technology Doesn’t Eliminate Work. It Changes the Value of Work.

Artificial intelligence can write an email.

It can analyze data.

It can create an image.

It can write computer code.

It can summarize a legal document.

But AI cannot easily fix the air conditioner in your house.

It cannot replace a broken water line.

It cannot install an electrical system in a new building.

It cannot physically build a house.

It cannot repair a piece of heavy machinery sitting on a construction site.

The physical economy is different from the digital economy.

The digital world can often be copied, scaled, and automated very quickly.

The physical world is much more difficult to automate.

Every home, building, factory, hospital, data center, electrical grid, and piece of infrastructure still exists in the real world.

And someone has to build, maintain, repair, and improve it.

That creates an interesting possibility:

The person who can physically solve a problem may become more valuable than the person whose job is primarily moving information around.

The College Degree May No Longer Be the Automatic Answer

For decades, parents were told that the best thing they could do for their children was send them to college.

The problem is that the financial calculation has changed.

College is expensive.

Student loans can be expensive.

And a degree does not automatically guarantee a high-paying career.

Meanwhile, a young person can spend years and significant amounts of money earning a degree for a job that may eventually be changed dramatically by technology.

That does not mean college is no longer valuable.

Doctors will still need to go to medical school.

Engineers will still need technical education.

Lawyers will still need legal training.

Certain professions will always require advanced education.

But the idea that every child needs a four-year college degree is becoming increasingly outdated.

A trade school, apprenticeship, certification, or technical program may provide a better financial return for some people.

A young person could spend less money on education, enter the workforce earlier, begin earning income sooner, and potentially build a business instead of accumulating years of student debt.

That is not a step backward.

It may actually be a step forward.

The Biggest Opportunity May Be Owning the Business

This is where the financial planning conversation becomes particularly important.

The opportunity may not simply be becoming an electrician.

It may be owning the electrical company.

It may not simply be becoming a plumber.

It may be building a plumbing business with 20 employees.

It may not simply be becoming an HVAC technician.

It may be owning a company that services thousands of homes and businesses.

Technology and automation can make these businesses dramatically more efficient.

A contractor who once needed 10 employees to manage scheduling, estimates, bookkeeping, marketing, and customer service may eventually be able to operate with fewer people and better technology.

Artificial intelligence can help generate estimates.

Software can improve scheduling.

Automation can reduce administrative work.

Digital marketing can generate customers.

Technology can improve inventory management.

The result may be a highly profitable business built around a physical service that is extremely difficult to automate completely.

This is one of the most important economic trends parents and grandparents should be watching.

The next generation may not need to choose between “college” and “working with their hands.”

They may be able to combine technical expertise with technology, business ownership, and artificial intelligence.

That combination could be extremely powerful.

The Million-Dollar Skill May Be Knowing How to Fix Something

One of the biggest mistakes families can make is looking down on blue-collar work.

For decades, many parents told their children:

“Go to college so you don’t have to work with your hands.”

But what if the future rewards the person who knows how to use their hands, their brain, and technology?

The world will always have problems.

The person who can solve expensive problems will always have economic value.

If someone’s furnace breaks in the middle of winter, they don’t care whether the technician has a four-year college degree.

They care whether the technician can fix the furnace.

If a factory cannot operate because a critical machine is broken, the person who can repair it may be more valuable at that moment than almost anyone sitting in a corporate office.

If a business needs a new electrical system, the electrician who can do the work may have more pricing power than the office worker whose job is increasingly being automated.

Value is not determined by how prestigious a job sounds.

Value is determined by how difficult a problem is to solve.

What Does This Mean for Your Children and Grandchildren?

This is where families need to rethink financial planning.

The goal should not simply be to save enough money to pay for a child’s college education.

The goal should be to help the next generation acquire valuable skills without unnecessarily burdening them with debt.

That may mean funding:

• A four-year college education

• A trade school

• An apprenticeship

• A technical certification

• Tools and equipment

• A business startup

• A down payment on a building

• A vehicle needed for the business

• Working capital

• Continuing education

The financial plan should be flexible.

A 529 plan may be appropriate for one child who wants to become a doctor.

But another child may want to become an electrician and eventually own an electrical contracting company.

That child may need a different form of financial support.

Parents should be careful not to create a family system where college is paid for but every other career path is financially penalized.

The objective should be education and opportunity—not necessarily a specific type of diploma.

The Future May Reward Ownership More Than Employment

There is another major financial planning lesson here.

Technology may make certain jobs less valuable.

But it may also make certain businesses more profitable.

A small business owner who uses artificial intelligence and automation effectively may be able to accomplish what previously required a much larger organization.

That could create significant opportunities for entrepreneurship.

A young person may learn a trade, work for someone else for several years, understand the business, and eventually buy or start a company.

Over time, the goal may shift from earning a paycheck to owning an asset.

That is a major distinction.

An employee generally earns income from their labor.

A business owner can potentially earn income from labor, systems, employees, intellectual property, customer relationships, and the value of the business itself.

The financial plan should recognize the difference.

If your child or grandchild wants to own a business, the financial planning conversation may involve:

• How to fund the startup

• How to manage debt

• How to protect personal assets

• How to structure the business

• How to save for retirement as a business owner

• How to manage cash flow

• How to eventually sell the business

• How to transfer the business to the next generation

The business itself may become the largest asset in the family’s financial plan.

The Next Generation May Need a Different Definition of Success

For years, families measured success by titles.

Doctor.

Lawyer.

Executive.

Engineer.

But the future may require a broader definition.

Success may be the person who owns a profitable plumbing company.

The technician who owns a specialized manufacturing business.

The mechanic who builds a fleet of service vehicles.

The contractor who creates 100 jobs.

The welder who starts a company serving the energy industry.

The person who combines a trade with technology and business ownership may create more wealth than someone with an impressive title and a large student loan balance.

The important question is not:

“What job sounds the most impressive?”

The better question is:

“What problems will people always pay to have solved?”

Your Family’s Financial Plan Should Prepare for Multiple Futures

No one knows exactly what artificial intelligence will do to the labor market.

But we can make a reasonable prediction:

The future will probably reward adaptability.

The best investment parents and grandparents can make in their children and grandchildren may not be a specific degree.

It may be the ability to learn.

To work.

To solve problems.

To use technology.

To manage money.

To understand business.

And to recognize opportunity.

The financial plan should reflect that uncertainty.

Instead of assuming every child follows the same path, families may need to create financial flexibility.

One child may need help with college.

Another may need help buying tools.

Another may need help starting a business.

Another may need help acquiring an existing company.

The objective is not to give every child the exact same thing.

The objective is to give every child the opportunity to build a productive and financially independent life.

The future may not be about blue-collar versus white-collar work.

It may be about valuable work versus less valuable work.

Technology will continue to make many tasks more efficient.

Artificial intelligence will change the way businesses operate.

Automation will eliminate some jobs and create others.

But the physical world will continue to need people who can build, repair, maintain, and improve it.

And as technology makes these businesses more efficient, the economic opportunity may become even greater.

For parents and grandparents, the lesson is simple:

Don’t assume the best investment in your child’s future is automatically a four-year college degree.

Sometimes the better investment may be a skill.

Sometimes it may be an apprenticeship.

Sometimes it may be a trade.

And sometimes, the greatest opportunity may be helping the next generation become an owner.

The goal of financial planning is not just to accumulate money for the next generation.

It is to give the next generation the tools, education, flexibility, and opportunity to create wealth of their own.

The future may belong to those who can combine technology with something technology still struggles to replace:

The ability to solve real-world problems.

Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

Iran-backed attacks on tankers in the Red Sea further lifted oil another 3%. Mediators say there’s a new proposal under consideration by both sides.

Odds of a rate hike are back on the rise, with a chance of two hikes on the year back to 57%.

Korea’s semi-heavy Kospi index bounced over 4% last night.

Tesla (TSLA) fell -6% after missing earnings on weaker margins and a shift towards AI and robots.

Google (GOOG) beat estimates but was -4%, with Cloud the big performer. They did hit negative FCF and somewhat raised capex, which seems sure to have some people up in arms. How dare they spend money to create AI used by 90% of the Fortune 500.

Texas Instruments (TXN) beat and raised, but went down -4%. Since AI is such a focus of late. it’s worth noting AI sales are only about 9% of TXN business and that part grew sharply.

IBM had mixed numbers and lowered revenue expectations, but after their earlier warning, that was enough keep the stock flat.

ServiceNow (NOW) beat estimates handily and were up 7%.

STMicroelectronics (STM) was -14% after missing revenue estimates.

Jobless Claims today.

Bottom line: Oil continues to cause trouble but semis and momentum continue to get a bid.

Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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