Let’s be honest.
The plan we were sold?
It’s dead.
You followed the script:
- Worked hard
- Saved what you could
- Played it safe
And look where it got you.
Somewhere between the 2008 crash, Brexit, Covid, and this rolling cost-of-living crisis…
…the old retirement model quietly died.
No memo.
No warning.
No bell.
But deep down, you know it:
- Your state pension won’t cover the basics
- Your salary keeps losing to inflation and living costs
- Rent and house prices are a joke
- The middle class? Barely exists anymore
- And AI is coming fast—for desk jobs like yours and mine
That knot in your stomach?
It’s not paranoia.
It’s clarity.
You didn’t fail the system.
The system failed you.
Welcome to 2025: The New Economic Reality
1. Wages are stuck
- UK average salary in 2008: £26K
- In 2024: £35K (up 35%)
- But inflation? Over 60%
London wages rose too—but not enough.
You’re earning more, but buying less.
2. Prices are sky-high
Inflation slowed—but prices didn’t drop.
Food, rent, fuel? Still 25% higher than pre-Covid.
You feel it every week.
3. Housing is a fantasy
It used to be 3.5× your salary.
Now it’s 9×. In London, 15×.
Even with two good incomes, it’s a spreadsheet and a prayer.
4. Retirement’s not coming to save you
J.P. Morgan called it: “a slow-motion train crash.”
- State pension: ~£11,500
- Cost of living: ~£25,000+
- Half the country doesn’t even have a workplace pension
- And inflation is chewing through whatever you’ve saved
Even people who “did everything right” are coming up short.
5. AI’s not hype. It’s happening.
Goldman Sachs: up to 300 million jobs hit.
Mostly white-collar. Mostly screen-based.
If you work behind a desk—you’re exposed.
So what do you do?
You’ve got two options:
1. Wait
Hope the system magically fixes itself.
2. Build
Take what you already know.
Stack a few new skills.
Start creating something that’s yours.
That’s what I’m doing.
And I’m sharing every step of it—openly, in real-time.
What I’m Building (And Why)
I’m Jacek (Jack) Iciek.
40 years old.
Dad to a 5-year-old autistic son.
Full-time precious metals trader.
No marketing background.
No audience.
No funding.
But I’ve got:
- Real-life experience
- A sharp bullshit filter
- And a restless need to make this time count
When my son Alexander was born during lockdown, everything shifted.
I started auditing my life:
- Health
- Money
- Purpose
And I realised:
I can’t keep relying on a system that’s already crumbling.
So I’m building something different:
A Personal Equity Business.
Not a startup. Not a hustle.
A business that grows with me—built around what I already know, what I’m learning, and what I care about.
It’s lean.
It’s online.
And it’s mine.
It starts with writing.
It evolves through learning in public.
And it grows by turning my knowledge into digital products—small, ethical, human offers that actually help people like me.
Not to become an influencer.
Not to chase passive income fantasies.
But to build something real—on my terms.
Why a Personal Equity Business Makes Sense—Right Now
It’s not just a project. It’s a hedge.
- Against inflation
- Against job insecurity
- Against the slow erosion of control over your own time and future
When you build personal equity, you’re investing in yourself—your story, your skills, your ability to adapt.
You’re getting into the mindset of a founder.
You’re learning new tools, future-proof skills, and ways of thinking that AI can’t replace.
You’re opening the door to additional income sources—on your own terms, built around your life.
It’s self-development with skin in the game.
And it gives you what the old system no longer can:
A shot at freedom. On your terms.
Being 40+ Isn’t a Liability.
It’s Leverage.
We’ve lived through:
- Recessions
- Redundancies
- Burnout
- Bullshit
We’ve seen what not to trust.
We don’t fall for hype.
We just want something that works.
And we’ve still got a window—10 to 15 good years of energy and relevance.
That’s more than enough.
If we use it right.
Every Monday: One Real Insight You Can Use
Each Monday morning, I send one short, no-fluff email.
Here’s what’s inside:
- What I’m building
- What’s working
- What’s breaking
- What you can steal
No hacks. No hype. No “10x” nonsense.
Just honest insight from the frontlines of building a Personal Equity Business after 40.
It’s called:
Meaning, Money & Mastery: After 40
It’s not content for content’s sake.
It’s a real-time case study in:
- Turning your skills into income
- Using AI to amplify—not replace—you
- Showing up online without pretending to be someone else
- Building leverage from what you’ve lived
- Moving fast, learning faster
At the Heart of It All: 🔁 The Iteration Loop
Try → Fail → Adjust → Try again → Refine → Traction
The faster you loop, the faster you:
- Get clarity
- Find your voice
- Build trust
- Grow an audience
- Create income
The Wright brothers didn’t wait for perfect.
They built.
They crashed.
They flew.
That’s the process.
That’s what I’m sharing.
That’s what works.
Who This Is For
✔️ You’re 40+
✔️ You’ve got responsibilities
✔️ You’re tired of waiting
✔️ You want to build something real
This isn’t about pretending.
It’s about building something honest, useful, and yours.
Who This Isn’t For
❌ You want overnight success
❌ You think AI will do it all
❌ You’re after “passive income” shortcuts
❌ You want a guru to tell you what to do
If that’s you—this isn’t it.
Final Word
Where you are now?
Stuck in a system that quietly stopped working.
Where you could be?
Building personal equity—something that belongs to you.
That earns for you.
That grows with you.
The gap between those two futures?
It closes a little more each day you wait.
I’m not selling a course.
I’m not asking you to risk everything.
I’m just saying:
Start.
Join Me
Meaning, Money & Mastery: After 40
One real insight. Every Monday.
No fluff. No hype. No BS.
It's free.
It's human.
It's built for people who want to build something real.
