![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/President-Trump-Leaveing-White-House-Sept-11-2025_BLU_A110860895.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n Andrew Leyden \/ ZUMA Press Wire \/ Shutterstock.com <\/p>\n
Commitment to Our Readers<\/p>\n
GOBankingRates’ editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines<\/a> and our products and services review methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n 20 Years Trusted by To say that 2025 was a year of big changes would be an understatement. Starting with the transition in presidential administrations, all areas of American life have shifted \u2014 including how we plan for retirement<\/a>. The actions of President Donald Trump\u2019s administration have compelled financial advisors to rethink how they counsel clients preparing for their later years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seeking to understand how these changes could reshape retirement strategies in 2026 and beyond, GOBankingRates spoke with financial experts about the adjustments prospective retirees should be prepared to make<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alternative Investments in Contribution Retirement Plans\u00a0<\/p>\n On Aug. 7, 2025, the White House issued an executive order directing federal agencies \u2014 primarily the Department of Labor and the Securities and Exchange Commission \u2014 to review and potentially revise guidance on including alternative assets<\/a> such as cryptocurrencies, private equity funds and real estate in defined-contribution retirement plans like 401(k) plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Yuri Berg, chief business development officer at FinchTrade,<\/a> this development represents one of the largest shifts in retirement planning in decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTrump\u2019s order allowing private equity, crypto and real estate in 401(k)s opens the floodgates for Americans to access investments that were previously reserved for wealthy individuals,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Berg cautioned that investors should proceed carefully and take a balanced approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to be very cautious and limit exposure to 5%-10% of your portfolio at most,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout proper guardrails, investors could face unnecessary risk and potentially irreversible losses in their only retirement account.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Impacts of Tariffs\u00a0<\/p>\n Berg also noted that tariffs levied by the Trump administration have affected retirees\u2019 purchasing power. He\u2019s concerned that rising prices on items such as cars, dishwashers and vegetables will disproportionately hurt those on fixed incomes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s not the only expert who has seen retirees adjust their financial plans due to tariffs. When Grant Meyer, CFP, BFA and certified grief educator at TruMix Advisors<\/a>, works with clients worried about tariff impacts, he advises taking a global approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs the dollar weakens due to shifting trade policies, we\u2019ve increased international exposure in our portfolios to hedge currency risk and tap into global growth,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Changes Related to Roth Conversions\u00a0<\/p>\n The \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d introduced several major changes to the process of Roth conversions. Meyer pointed to expanded senior tax credits as a reason to consider more Roth conversions for retired clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to help our retirees take advantage of lower tax brackets while they last,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meyer also noted that the higher SALT (state and local tax) deduction has created additional opportunities for Roth conversions and lower overall taxes for wealthier clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n Student Loan Policy Changes Can Impact Retirement Planning\u00a0<\/p>\n Since returning to office, Trump has enacted several significant changes to student loan repayment plans. These include eliminating key income-driven repayment plans, consolidating them into a new Repayment Assistance Plan, altering Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility and tightening rules around deferment, forbearance and hardship exemptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because Meyer\u2019s firm works with physicians \u2014 many of whom carry substantial student loan debt \u2014 they\u2019ve seen how changes to repayment plan options can directly impact a client\u2019s ability to save for retirement. In response, the firm has focused on crafting repayment strategies<\/a> that align with the shifting forgiveness landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to make sure they can save for retirement while managing debt,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the policies of the Trump administration have significantly affected how Americans approach retirement planning, working with a financial expert you trust is one of the best ways to navigate these changes and stay prepared for what\u2019s ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrew Leyden \/ ZUMA Press Wire \/ Shutterstock.com Commitment to Our Readers GOBankingRates’ editorial team is committed to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[138,246,3319,111,139,69,244,245,660,294],"class_list":{"0":"post-91625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-gobankingrates","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz","14":"tag-personal-finance","15":"tag-personalfinance","16":"tag-planning","17":"tag-retirement"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.gobankingrates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/icon-20.svg?webp=1&quality=75\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
Helping You Live Richer<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.gobankingrates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/icon-experts-review.svg?webp=1&quality=75\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.gobankingrates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/icon__trusted.svg?webp=1&quality=75\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
Millions of Readers<\/p>\n