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A short video clip from a Coldplay concert has sparked waves far beyond the entertainment world. In the now-viral footage, Andy Byron — then-CEO of the tech firm Astronomer — is seen with his arms around Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot as they cuddle in the crowd.

Byron ducked out of sight as the couple appeared on the big screen. Cabot turned away and covered her face.

“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin quipped to the audience. Days later, Byron resigned.

As for Cabot, the Daily Mail reports she’s married to another CEO: Andrew Cabot, head of Massachusetts-based distillery Privateer Rum. The publication says Kristin’s now-deactivated LinkedIn page showed that she has been an “advisory board member” of Privateer Rum since September 2020.

Property records show that Kristin and Andrew Cabot purchased a $2.2 million home in Rye, New Hampshire, back in February, and the deed refers to them as “husband and wife,” according to the Daily Mail.

Andrew Cabot, according to Privateer Rum’s website, is a direct descendant of the original Andrew Cabot — a wealthy merchant and privateer from the Revolutionary War era. The Cabot name carries weight in Boston: they’re part of the city’s storied “Brahmin” class — families that once ruled New England society. As the New York Post put it, the Cabots belonged to a club of families so distinguished “that the Irish-Catholic Kennedys are left out in the cold.”

The Cabot family is so prominent in Boston that, according to the Post, a local saying goes, the “Cabots speak only to God.”

Their wealth spans generations. A 1972 New York Times profile pegged the Cabot family fortune at over $200 million at the time — equivalent to roughly $1.5 billion in 2025.

While most Americans don’t come from a family like the Cabots, building generational wealth isn’t necessarily out of reach. With the right tools — and access to platforms once limited to the ultra-rich — it’s possible to lay your own foundation for long-term prosperity.

For families like the Cabots, real estate has long served as both a symbol of status and a source of enduring wealth. That’s no coincidence. Real estate can offer multiple pathways to build and preserve wealth across generations.

Owning property can generate passive income through rent and offer appreciation potential — especially in high-demand markets. It’s also a classic hedge against inflation: when the cost of materials, labor and land goes up, property values often rise as well. Meanwhile, rental income typically climbs too, creating a revenue stream that can adjust with inflation.

These days, you don’t need to buy an entire property outright to benefit from real estate investing. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived have made it easier than ever for everyday investors to gain exposure to this income-generating asset class.

Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.

The process is simple: browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.

For accredited investors, Homeshares gives access to the $35 trillion U.S. home equity market, which has historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors.

With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.

With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets.

Read more: Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they’re banking on instead

While real estate has shaped many old-money empires, the U.S. stock market has quietly built countless modern fortunes.

The reason is simple: long-term exposure to the growth of American business. As investing legend Warren Buffett wrote in his 2016 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, “American business — and consequently a basket of stocks — is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead.”

Berkshire’s performance serves as a powerful testament to that principle. From 1964 to 2024, it delivered an astonishing overall gain of 5,502,284%.

Buffett has long championed investing in companies with durable competitive advantages — businesses with unique strengths that allow them to outperform rivals over the long term. But for the average investor, he says there’s no need to pick winners.

“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” he has famously stated. This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active management.

The beauty of this approach is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. And with Wealthfront Invest, you can put your investing on autopilot. Their easy “set it and forget it” approach means your money is professionally managed and automatically rebalanced, allowing your wealth to grow steadily over time.

The platform can build a personalized portfolio of low-cost index funds from up to 17 global asset classes. Depending on your risk profile, your money can buy shares of VOO, Vanguard’s ETF which tracks the S&P 500.

Plus, you can get a $50 bonus if you fund a taxable investment account today.

At the end of the day, everyone’s financial situation is different — from income levels and investment goals to debt obligations and risk tolerance. If you’re unsure where to start, it might be the right time to get in touch with a financial advisor through Advisor.com.

Advisor.com is an online platform that matches you with vetted financial advisors suited to your unique needs. They can help tailor a strategy to your unique financial situation, whether you’re looking to grow wealth, diversify beyond stocks or plan for long-term financial security.

Once you’re matched with an advisor, you can book a free consultation with no obligation to hire.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.