★A new 2026 edition of the bestselling Recession-Proof by Jason Schenker, a world-class financial forecaster, futurist, and economist.
★Drawing on the deep cyclical research of Prestige Economics and the forward-looking trend analysis of The Futurist Institute, this book fuses survival wisdom distilled from past recessions with the challenges and opportunities brought by the current AI revolution.
★A step-by-step guide to recession-proofing—from foundational strategies you can implement immediately, to advanced tactical layouts, to battle-tested core principles. Every reader, regardless of industry or knowledge background, can pinpoint their own path forward and navigate the dual storm of economic and technological disruption with confidence.
★The strategies in this book are not mere theory—they are proven, dual-purpose frameworks that both fortify defenses against an uncertain future and unlock new avenues for growth amid upheaval. Even when plans fall through, optimal alternatives remain ready, ensuring resilience through any turbulence.

The advice in this book is designed to help navigate any type of technological or economic upheaval. The author hopes these strategies will help those who experience future economic downturns get through them as smoothly as possible—and even seize growth opportunities during recessionary periods. At the same time, emerging technologies like AI hold the potential to create new opportunities for economic expansion, business development, and career advancement.

Economic fluctuations are called "business cycles" for a reason—they consist of recurring patterns of growth and contraction. In the future, you are likely to face economic and career challenges just as many have before you.

Foreknowledge is forearming. Even during recessions, there are opportunities not only to survive but to thrive—to find upward momentum amid the downturn.

With that in mind, let's take action now. After all, when it comes to becoming recession-proof, the best time is the present.

Specific approaches recommended in this book include:
• Predict the next recession with just a few clicks of your mouse
• Turn the bust years into a moneymaking opportunity
• Escape a doomed industry before it’s too late
• Keep your job long after your colleagues have been laid off
• Take refuge in a safe-haven sector
• Move where the money is
• Safeguard your retirement
• Survive a charging bull (really)

Mr. Schenker is the President of Prestige Economics and Chairman of The Futurist Institute. He has been ranked one of the most accurate financial forecasters and futurists in the world. Bloomberg News has ranked Mr. Schenker a top forecaster in 51 categories, including #1 in the world for his accuracy in 36 categories, including for his forecasts of all Major Currencies, the Euro, the British Pound, the Russian Ruble, the Chinese Yuan, crude oil prices, natural gas prices, gold prices, industrial metals prices, agricultural commodity prices, and U.S. jobs.
Mr. Schenker was ranked one of the top 100 most influential financial advisors in the world by Investopedia in 2018. His work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
He has appeared on CNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Fox, Fox Business, BNN, Bloomberg Germany, and the BBC. Mr. Schenker has been a guest host of Bloomberg Television. He has also been a contributor to Bloomberg Opinion and Forbes.
Mr. Schenker has advised NATO and the U.S. government on geoeconomics, economic security, the future of work, blockchain, Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, quantum computing, data analysis, forecasting, misinformation, and disinformation.
Mr. Schenker has written 39 books, including 17 bestsellers, such as Cold War Two, The Future After AI, The Future After COVID, Jobs for Robots, Quantum: Computing Nouveau, Recession-Proof, The Promise of Blockchain, Futureproof Supply Chain, The Future of Finance is Now, and The Future of Energy. Mr. Schenker was featured as one of the world’s foremost futurists in the book After Shock.
Mr. Schenker advises executives, industry groups, institutional investors, and central banks as the President of Prestige Economics, which he founded in 2009. He is also Chairman of The Futurist Institute, which he founded in 2016. The Futurist Institute offers a rigorous course of study that includes The Future of Work, The Future of Transportation, The Future of Data, The Future of Finance, Futurist Fundamentals, The Future of Energy, The Future of Leadership, The Future of Healthcare, The Future of Quantum Computing, The Future After COVID, and Write the Future.
Mr. Schenker is also an instructor for over 40 LinkedIn Learning courses, which have been taken by over 1.6 million learners. These courses span a variety of topics including economics, corporate finance, risk management, AI and emerging technologies, and leadership.
Mr. Schenker is one of the 100 CEOs on the non-partisan Texas Business Leadership Council, the Texas affiliate of the Business Roundtable that advises elected officials of both parties at the state and federal levels. He is a Board Leadership Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors and a Fellow of the Energy Institute. Mr. Schenker is also the AI and Emerging Technologies advisor on the Seoul International Policy Advisory Group (SIPAG).
Before founding Prestige Economics in 2009, Mr. Schenker was a Risk Specialist at McKinsey and Chief Energy and Commodity Economist at Wachovia (Wells Fargo). He holds Master’s degrees in economics, negotiation, and German, and a Bachelor’s in history and German. He has been a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) since 2010. He also holds the Certified Energy Risk Professional (ERP®) and Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) professional designations.
Mr. Schenker is currently on the faculty of the Joint Special Operations University at U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). He is also an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Since 2022, he has been an advisor to the U.S. State Department and the National Foreign Affairs Training Center, which was formerly known as the Foreign Service Institute.

PREFACE 7
INTRODUCTION 11
CHAPTER 1
RECESSION-PROOF STRATEGIES AFTER AI 17
CHAPTER 2
RECESSIONS 101 37
CHAPTER 3
WHAT DOES YOUR PERSONAL RECESSION LOOK LIKE? 53
CHAPTER 4
YOU HAVE OPTIONS 87
CHAPTER 5
PREPARE 99
CHAPTER 6
DIG IN 119
CHAPTER 7
HIDE 133
CHAPTER 8
RUN 153
CHAPTER 9
BUILD 177
CHAPTER 10
INVEST 213
CHAPTER 11
NOW WHAT? 233
CONCLUSION 239
ENDNOTES 241