Different Environments

I try to be very mindful of not being political in this space. After all, there is little I could accomplish from atop a soapbox when people are coming to us to deal with the world as it is and not looking for a path to utopia. Yet recently I wrote about how President Trump’s insistence on tariffs is going to make people pay more for more items. It is simply undeniable that if you require someone to pay more money along the way from making a product to getting it to a customer, then the consumer is going to be made to take on some of that burden.

It's important to also remember that when we talk about consumers, we are not only talking about how it affects households, but it’s also going to affect the cost of what companies need to make other products (think automobiles and construction) and even what local governments must pay for things like asphalt and fire trucks.

And how are these entities going to make up that difference? Yes, yet again, it is most likely going to be passed along to the customer at the end of the line.

It is easy to see how this would happen with businesses – you’ll pay them more for many types of contractor work if they are paying more for materials and you’ll pay more for a new car if it costs more to make one. But when it comes to governments needing to make up some space on their budget, then you start talking about potential tax increases – be it state or local sales tax or your property taxes.

I don’t mean to preach gloom and doom here, but I think it is valuable to be mindful of the potential ramifications of situations that are still very much in flux. And no matter how we feel about how great or how rough this may turn out to be politically in the end, we are all going to face similar trials along the way. So, consider this another reminder of how mindfulness can help you on those travels so then you can address things as they happen and not only realize it was happening when it is already too late.

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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