Dollar’s 10% slide under Trump has cost you — Paul Graham issues stark wealth warning and explains how much

Core Insights - Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, warns that many Americans may be poorer than they realize due to the decline in the US dollar's value since Donald Trump's inauguration, necessitating an 11% increase in net worth to maintain purchasing power [1][2][3] Dollar Value Decline - The US Dollar Index has decreased by approximately 10.26%, falling from 109.29 at Trump's inauguration to 98.07 [3][12] - Dollar-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have also seen declines, with the Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund down 6.6% and the WisdomTree Bloomberg US Dollar Bullish Fund down 4.9% since the inauguration [5][13] Impact on Wealth - Despite the dollar's decline, tech billionaires have experienced significant wealth increases, with Larry Ellison gaining over $115 billion and Mark Zuckerberg's wealth rising by $63.5 billion [6][13] - Elon Musk remains the richest person globally, despite a decrease of $68.1 billion, with a net worth of $364 billion [6][13] Broader Economic Concerns - Prominent investors, including Ray Dalio, express concerns about the long-term strength of the dollar, citing excessive debt and money printing as factors that could undermine confidence in fiat currencies [8][11] - Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer warns that the dollar may lose its "supremacy premium" if the Federal Reserve intervenes to suppress bond yields amid rising US debt [9][11] Corporate Impact - Corporations are feeling the effects of consumer anxiety, with McDonald's CEO noting a decline in real incomes for low-income consumers and a significant drop in store visits [10][13]