Today's track: Potsu — [oops]
I saw something on social media this week that stopped me cold.
A Charizard — the kind of Pokemon card kids were trading on the playground twenty years ago — is now worth $800,000.
And then I kept looking.
Pokemon cards, as an asset class, are up 3,261% over the last twenty years. The average card is appreciating at roughly 46% per year right now — outpacing Nvidia and lapping the S&P 500's 12% average annual return. The entire trading card market was valued at $21.4 billion in 2024. It's projected to hit $58 billion by 2034.
This isn't nostalgia. This is an asset class.
And it's not just Pokemon. Someone who bought Babe Ruth's jersey in 2005 and held it until 2024 got a 13x return. Michael Jordan's six championship sneakers went for $8 million at Sotheby's. Bank of America ran a survey — 94% of Gen Z and Millennials said they're interested in collectibles. These aren't fringe buyers. This is the next generation deciding what has value.
Which sent me straight to the question I hear from parents all the time: What should my kids be doing?
Here's my answer: let them chase what actually interests them.
Some friends of mine just gifted their son a disposable camera. Kid is now absolutely obsessed with photography. Nobody planned that. Nobody mapped out a career path. They just handed him something interesting and watched what happened.
Throw a lot of noodles at the wall. Expose them to everything — sports, music, cards, art, a cheap camera, whatever. See what they gravitate toward. Then just keep encouraging it. Don't redirect them toward what seems practical. Let the thing find them.
Who knows what the world looks like in fifteen years — nobody does. But if you're genuinely into something, really into it, you'll figure out how to make money in that space. That part tends to work itself out when the obsession is real.
And we've never been more equipped to turn a weird niche interest into something. AI has leveled the playing field in ways nobody fully understands yet. The kid who's deep into something obscure today has more tools available to them than anyone in history.
So maybe go check your garage this weekend. Dust off your old Pokemon cards. Or your baseball cards. Or whatever it was that used to light you up.
Because why not? Pursue the stuff that lights you up inside.
Have a great Tuesday.
Warmly,
Rob Bergeron
Owner–Realtor at Award-Winning Winner Realty
Winner Realty | OffMarket.deals | Property Partner Data Company | HireMySub.com
The Morning Bergeron daily track playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-morning-bergeron/pl.u-pMyl2GlSW1N3qv
PS: Hit reply — what's the thing from your childhood you should have kept going with?