Off The Record

Trump’s Tariffs Might Have Devastating Impacts On Life Savings As The Complete List Of Impacted Nations Is Made Public

Published on April 3, 2025

Financial advisors have cautioned that the United States’ recent tax increases on imported goods could have a catastrophic cascading effect on Americans’ life savings.

President Donald Trump proclaimed April 2 to be “Liberation Day” for the United States, saying that American workers would no longer be “ripped off” and that the states would no longer be dependent on imports, in case you missed it.

In order to achieve this, he imposed a number of tariffs on imported commodities from all over the world. He also prepared the White House Rose Garden statement with a large “retaliatory tariffs” chart that calculated the tax increases for each nation.

EU goods, for instance, will be subject to a 20 percent tax, UK imports will be subject to the ‘baseline’ 10 percent charge, and some may be subject to an eye-watering 50 percent levy.

As demonstrated by Canada, which has threatened a number of retaliatory actions in recent weeks, other nations are likely to respond with tariff hikes on US exports as the POTUS stokes an already burning “trade war.”

In addition to frightening the stock market and upending the economy, economists have already cautioned that this back and forth of abrupt tax increases will certainly result in American consumers having to pay more for everything from groceries to cars. In addition, tariff increases have not always been favorably received by the US.

According to the Financial Times, financial advisors are getting ready to warn people who are getting closer to retirement to exercise care as global markets continue to plummet due to the tariff shock, adding to the drama.

Global markets dropped as of April 3 in less than a day, while futures that tracked the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq plummeted 2.8 and 3.3 percent, respectively.

According to Business Insider, the Nasdaq Composite fell 10% as a result of stock problems in businesses like Tesla, and the S&P has shed 5% in the first three months of the year, making it the worst quarter since 2022.

Some stock market assets have already been severely damaged by the decline, and retirement plans may also be affected.

The outlet was informed by Peter Ricchiuti, a senior professor of finance at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business: “The value decline will be devastating for the small investor, particularly for retired baby boomers.”

He claims that the tax increases have made it “impossible” for business owners to make decisions, which has made the situation worse.

“The worst part of all this is that these economic wounds are self-inflicted,” he stated.

According to Georgia Taylor, founder of Tailored Wealth, the additional tariffs have “caused market volatility, impacting pension values,” as she told FT.

Long-term investors should “ride it out,” she said, while those who were getting close to retirement should keep an eye on the situation and make financial arrangements.

But DFB Wealth’s Dan Brent advised against “panicking.”

“The media will portray tumbling or plunging investments and it is the job of us financial planners to help our clients to drown out the noise,” he stated. “For those looking to retire soon, it might be that one holds off accessing pension benefits in the very short term, however this will pass, so enjoy the sunny weather, stick to your plan and don’t read the newspapers.”

According to MLP Wealth director Seán Standerwick, “it is important to not be emotional, not overreact, and stick to the long term plan.”