A Tale of Two Americas: Multi-fueled Cars, Uranium, and the Shifting Sands of Wealth
By Vaughn Woods, CFP, MBA
When we sit down over coffee in San Diego or across the table at one of our firm’s review meetings, the conversation always seems to touch the uneven realities of today’s economy. We talk about rising prices, interest rates, and opportunities that are lopsided—about friends losing vehicles to repossession and families squeezed by high-rate car loans. Counterbalancing this is the optimism around growth sectors, like those powering artificial intelligence or securing tomorrow’s energy grid with technologies such as uranium-based small nuclear reactors.
These two stories—deep consumer distress and fast-moving investment opportunity—are not chapters in different books. They’re part of one, often-disconnected American narrative, marked by a growing gulf between those with capital to deploy and those increasingly left behind.
Tricolor’s Collapse: The Real Face of Subprime Lending Crisis
Consider the saga of Tricolor—a major subprime auto lender and used car dealership chain serving lower-credit buyers, including many immigrants without conventional banking access. For years, Tricolor thrived by extending credit where others would not.
But by September 2025, Tricolor suddenly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation – one of the most significant failures in the subprime lending space in recent years. The collapse came after banks, notably Fifth Third and JPMorgan, suffered hundreds of millions in potential losses tied to Tricolor loans, and investigators raised concerns about possible fraud and misrepresented loan performance in Tricolor’s securitized portfolios.
Tricolor’s filing listed over $1 billion in assets and liabilities, impacting tens of thousands of customers, employees, and investors. As Tricolor stopped servicing auto loans, borrowers – already living on a financial knife’s edge – have found themselves in limbo, uncertain whether their next payment keeps their car or ends in repossession. The bankruptcy puts a spotlight on the risks inherent in high-yield consumer lending, especially in an environment where rising rates and inflation erode household stability and confidence in lending practices.
This crisis goes beyond one company. It signals tightening credit for lower-income borrowers and could make banks even more risk-averse in supporting future auto loans—a direct blow to mobility, work access, and financial resilience for many Americans.
The Uranium Story: Appetite Without End
Meanwhile, in boardrooms from Silicon Valley to Washington and Beijing, the economic reality looks vastly different. Major technology firms and so-called “hyperscalers” are driving a voracious demand for electricity to fuel the next wave of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure. Uranium – long considered a quiet corner of the energy sector – has taken center stage as industry groups focused on nuclear energy deliver outperformance, fueled by global net-zero commitments and public-private capital.
Public and private players alike are bidding up the price and supply of nuclear fuels, recognizing the insatiable, borderless demand for clean, scalable energy. Here, interest rates are not gatekeepers, but rather accelerators, unleashing innovation and growth for those with the resources to participate.
Who’s Spending, and Who’s Being Shut Out?
This divergence is stark:
One group – lower-credit, working-class families – faces shrinking access to affordable auto loans and faces real consequences from tightening credit and high rates. Tricolor’s bankruptcy is a visible warning of fragility in this world.
The other – technology leaders, energy sector groups, and sophisticated allocators – can deploy more capital as rates drop, compounding their economic advantage and capturing new growth.
This dynamic means monetary policy, which is supposed to be a tide that raises all boats, may now lift some while others remain beached, fueling a cycle where wealth and opportunity concentrate at the top.
Adaptation and American Exceptionalism
So where does this leave the average American? The only sustainable answer may be adaptation: acquiring new skills, reorienting education for jobs in high-demand fields like energy technology, automation, and data infrastructure. The Tricolor story is a visible signpost that jobs and credit in declining sectors are high-risk. The energy and AI story looks forward, showing where capital – and opportunity – are moving.
American exceptionalism now belongs to the adaptable. The risks of “stuckism” -remaining anchored to declining industries or fragile consumer credit – are more evident than ever.
Navigating for Clients and Friends
As your advisor, these stories serve as both a warning and a guide. The collapse of Tricolor underscores the perils in segments of the consumer credit system, while renewed momentum in energy and technology highlights a way forward for those ready to reposition careers, education, and capital.
The future will continue to reward the nimble: those able to follow where the money, growth, and education flow. For those feeling squeezed by budget pressures, re-skilling and adaptability offer hope. For those seeking clarity in investment and business, opportunity still resides in transformation and the willingness to lead change.
Sincerely,
Vaughn Woods, CFP, MBA
Vaughn Woods Financial Group, Inc.
2226 Avenida De La Playa
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-454-6900
Email your questions to vw@vaughnwoods.com. In addition, we are never too busy for your referrals.
Sources:
WNA’s 2025 Performance Report of the Nuclear Energy Industry. Innovation News Network, September 3, 2025.
4 Reasons Nuclear Stocks Are Outperforming in 2025. Themes ETFs, June 25, 2025.
Dallas-Based Tricolor Auto Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. CarPro, September 17, 2025.
Tricolor, which specialized in high-risk loans, is going out of business. Kelley Blue Book, September 11, 2025.
Tricolor’s Car Loan Division Declares Bankruptcy and Enters Liquidation – TradingView News, September 10, 2025.
Powering the Future: Reskilling the Energy Workforce for a Net-Zero World. InfoPro Learning, June 18, 2025.
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