By I could end the deficit in five minutes,” he said. “You just pass a law that says that any time there’s a deficit of more than three percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. Yeah, yeah, now you’ve got the incentives in the right place, right?”
But the President and lawmakers in Congress seem to have plenty of incentives to move in the other direction, and that could have long-term consequences on your personal finances. Here’s why.
Trump’s borrowing spree
During the 2024 election campaign, Donald Trump presented himself as a fiscal disciplinarian, according to MS Now (2). “In the near future, I want to do what has not been done in 24 years: balance the federal budget,” he told Congress in 2025 (3).
Fast forward to today, and the Trump administration’s policies have actually broadened the deficit. Tax cuts have reduced revenue while the military budget has expanded. The administration has requested a defense budget increase to $1.5 trillion (4) — that’s a 42% uptick compared to 2026’s budget.
The federal budget deficit is already on track to hit $1.9 trillion in fiscal 2026, which is 5.8% of the nation’s GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office (5). That’s nearly double the GDP ratio Buffett said should make lawmakers ineligible for re-election.
Every annual deficit adds another layer to a cumulative debt pile that is already at historical highs. As of March 2026, federal debt exceeded $39 trillion. This is larger than the annual GDP of over $31 trillion, according to NPR (6). This is the first time the national debt has crossed 100% of national GDP since the end of the Second World War.
Buffett’s solution could potentially mitigate this issue, but the implementation would require something nearly impossible: getting lawmakers to vote for a law that fires them, and to self-impose a ceiling they’ve spent decades avoiding.
Real consequences
The national debt may seem like an abstract problem, but it has real consequences for ordinary citizens and families. Studies cited by a recent Wall Street Journal (7) report suggest that per-person income would be roughly 6.7% larger if the national debt was reduced to 80% of GDP by 2050.
“The thing about the national debt is that it affects basically everything in our economic lives and then some,” Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), told WSJ. “But we don’t see it, we don’t feel it, and many people don’t realize it.”
Inflation, higher borrowing costs and stagnant wages are all potential outcomes of the national debt on your personal finances, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (8).
Protect yourself
The government’s spending and debt binge is beyond your control. But what you can do to protect yourself from the impact is to add some exposure to so-called ‘hard’ assets.
These are tangible assets that tend to retain their value better during times of debt crises, inflation and currency devaluation. Think gold and real estate.
To add some exposure to the precious metal, you could consider opening a gold IRA with the help of Goldco. This structure helps you benefit from the safe haven features of gold while also maximizing tax benefits. The logic goes like this: unlike fiat currency, gold can’t be printed at will. This means it tends to hold its value better during market volatility.
With a minimum purchase of $10,000, Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Even better, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver.
If you’re curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today. Just keep in mind that gold is typically best deployed as one part of a diverse portfolio.
As for real estate, you don’t need six figures to buy a property to get started. You can also get into the market without committing to a 30-year mortgage, potentially tapping into a new passive income stream in the process.
Platforms like mogul offer fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, which gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or 3 a.m. tenant calls.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the mogul team handpicks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. Simply put, you can invest in institutional quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.
Each property undergoes a vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Their cash-on-cash yields, meanwhile, average between 10% to 12% annually. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.
Every investment is secured by real assets, not dependent on the platform’s viability. Each property is held in a standalone Propco LLC, so investors own the property — not the platform. Blockchain-based fractionalization adds a layer of safety, ensuring a permanent, verifiable record of each stake.
Getting started is a quick and easy process. You can sign up for an account and then browse available properties. Once you verify your information with their team, you can invest like a mogul in just a few clicks.
There’s no way to predict when the national debt turns into an economic shock, but adding gold or real estate to your portfolio could allow you to absorb some of that shock and protect your wealth.
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