The wealthy get wary when they see rapid change and the pace from the White House in 2025 has many wealthy investors looking to play defense.
Financial planners and tax advisors are seeing their wealthiest clients making these moves under the Trump Administration. While they don’t make sense for everyone, they offer food for thought.
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Hedging With Golden Visas
Jay Zigmont, Ph.D. and certified financial planner (CFP) at Childfree Trust, has seen one trend among his wealthiest clients more than any other.
“Since the election, we have been working on citizenship and exit plans for many clients,” he said. “Portugal remains one of the most popular destinations, but the process is slow at best. Others are working on their citizenship by heritage, especially in EU countries. We have yet to see any clients move internationally, but they are ensuring they have options.”
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Tax-Friendly Passive Real Estate Investments
Wealthy investors like passive real estate investments for their cash flow, appreciation, tax benefits — and the fact that they don’t have to become landlords.
Chad Cummings, attorney and certified public accountant (CPA), sees many of his clients investing in real estate through syndications and funds. In particular, they’re pursuing the renewed Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) funds and taking advantage of 100% bonus depreciation in syndications.
“One family rolled $120 million in gains from the sale of industrial parks into an QOZ fund in Texas, deferring recognition until 2026 and excluding appreciation after 10 years,” he added.
Hedging With Gold
Golden visas offer one form of protection from geopolitical risk and actual gold offers another.
Throughout history, when currency devaluation fears or geopolitical instability have rattled investors, they’ve fled to gold. And 2025 is no exception, with the yellow metal up 39.5% over the last year according to GoldPrice.org. As of Sept. 2, 2025, it reached a new record, as investors hedge against disruption from the Trump Administration.
Selling Individual Stocks
Cummings noted that many of his wealthiest clients are selling off individual stocks to take the capital gains losses now, before they potentially go up under future administrations.
“Wealthy investors and especially insider executives, are liquidating hundreds of thousands of shares to preempt capital gains rate increases. If rates increase to 28%, as floated in policy proposals, these liquidations would cost millions in higher tax bills,” he said.
With that cash, many wealthy investors are diversifying into more international stock holdings. The Trump Administration may or may not succeed in its goal of a “new Golden Age of America,” but the wealthy aren’t betting the farm on it.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Financial Planner: 4 Moves My Wealthiest Clients Are Making Under Trump
