As Republicans wrestle with funding their massive spending and tax package, President Donald Trump is eyeing a possible tax hike for the highest earners.

The idea, which lacks Republican support, could return the top federal income tax rate to 2017 levels for some of the wealthiest Americans.  

In a phone call Thursday, NBC reported, Trump pressed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to raise the top income tax rate on the wealthiest Americans and close the so-called carried interest loophole. The proposal would revert the 37% rate to 39.6% for individuals making $2.5 million or more per year, to help preserve Medicaid and tax cuts for everyday Americans.

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Trump on Friday expressed openness to the tax hike on the wealthiest Americans in a Truth Social post, noting he would “graciously accept” the tax increase to “help the lower and middle income workers.”

“Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!” he wrote.

Enacted by Trump, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, of 2017 created sweeping tax breaks for individuals and businesses. Most will sunset after 2025 without an extension from Congress.

The TCJA temporarily dropped the highest income tax rate from 39.6% to 37%. For 2025, the 37% rate kicks in for single filers once taxable income exceeds $626,350.    

If signed into law, a top 39.6% income tax rate would return wealthy taxpayers to pre-TCJA levels from 2013 to 2017. Before that, the top rate was 35% during most of the early 2000s, according to data collected by the Tax Policy Center. The highest top rate was 94% from 1944-1945.

However, this data doesn’t reflect how much income was subject to top rates or the value of standard and itemized deductions during these periods, the organization noted.

Lawmakers face “a pretty simple math issue,” with many proposals not covering the cost, Yale Budget Lab president and law professor Natasha Sarin told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday.   

“We’re not getting anywhere close to the type of revenue increases we need,” she said.

Some Americans believe real estate and gold are the best long-term investments. Advisors think that’s misguided.

About 37% of surveyed U.S. adults view real estate as the best investment for the long haul, according to a new report by Gallup, a global analytics and advisory firm. That figure is roughly unchanged from 36% last year. 

Gold was the second-most-popular choice, with 23% of surveyed respondents. That’s five points higher than last year. 

To compare, just 16% put their faith in stocks or mutual funds as the best long-term investment — a decline of six percentage points from 2024’s report, Gallup found.

The firm polled 1,006 adults in early April.

Financial advisors caution that this preference is likely more about buzz than fundamentals. Be careful about getting caught up in the hype, said certified financial planner Lee Baker, the founder, owner and president of Claris Financial Advisors in Atlanta.

Carolyn McClanahan, a CFP and founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida, agreed: “People are always chasing what’s hot, and that’s the stupidest thing you could do.”

Here’s what investors need to know about gold and real estate, and how to incorporate them in your portfolio.

“You buy a house, you can see it, feel it, touch it. Your investment in stocks perhaps doesn’t feel real,” said Baker, a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.

While the preference for gold grew this year, the share of Gallup respondents who think it’s the best long-term investment is still below the record high of 34% in 2011. Back then, gold investors sought refuge amid high unemployment, a crippled housing market and volatile stocks, Gallup noted.

Gold prices have been trending upward this spring. Spot gold prices hit an all-time high of above $3,500 per ounce in late April. One year ago, prices were about $2,200 to $2,300 an ounce.

Real estate has also drawn more interest in recent years amid high demand from buyers and accelerating prices. The median sale price for an existing home in the U.S. in March was $403,700, according to Bankrate. That is down from the record high of $426,900 in June.

“When you talk about stocks, you’re not talking about one big asset,” she said. “You’re talking about thousands and thousands of companies that do different things.” McClanahan is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.

While the tangibility of gold and real estate may provide a sense of comfort, it also makes them illiquid, or difficult to cash out, McClanahan said.

If you are among the Americans that want exposure to real estate or gold, there are different ways to do it wisely, experts say.

For real estate, financial advisors say investors might look into real estate investment trusts, also known as REITs, or consider investments that bundle real estate stocks, like exchange-traded funds.

An REIT is a publicly traded company that invests in different types of income-producing residential or commercial real estate, such as apartments or office buildings.

In many cases, you can buy shares of publicly traded REITs like you would a stock, or shares of a REIT mutual fund or exchange-traded fund. REIT investors typically make money through dividend payments.

Real estate mutual funds and exchange-traded funds will typically invest in multiple REITs and in the real estate market broadly. It’s even more diversified than investing in a single REIT.

Either way, you’re exposed to real estate without concentrating into a single property, and it will help diversify your portfolio, McClanahan said. 

Similar to gold — instead of stocking up on gold bullions, consider investing in gold through ETFs.

That way you avoid having to deal with finding a place to store or hide physical gold, you wash off the stress of it getting stolen or making sure it’s covered by your home insurance policy, experts say. 

“With the ETF, you actually get the value of the return of gold, but you don’t actually own it,” McClanahan said.

Americans have been worried about being able to maintain their standard of living since inflation first began to spike in 2021. With renewed cost concerns after President Donald Trump implemented his tariff agenda, many people are prepared to do something about it.

A whopping 83% of consumers said that if their financial situation worsens in the coming months, they will strongly consider cutting back on their non-essential spending, according to a new study by Intuit Credit Karma, which polled more than 2,000 U.S. adults in April.  

On TikTok, money saving hacks, with hashtags such as no buy, slow buy, low buy and underconsumption, have skyrocketed in popularity, especially among young adults. All are aimed at making the most of what you already have and resisting the temptation to buy more stuff, or even anything at all.

“No buy 2025” encourages shoppers to cut out all non-essential purchases for the year, including clothing, books, electronics and entertainment. Alternatively, low buy and slow buy advocate for a more mindful approach to buying decisions, such as following “the 48-hour rule” before making any discretionary purchases and limiting purchases altogether. The goal is to break the habit of overspending — or “doom spending” — as fears of a recession rise.

Recent data from H&R Block’s Spruce also found that 68% of Generation Z consumers reported being influenced by social media finance trends, with over one-third of them looking specifically to social media for financial knowledge. (America’s young adults are also increasingly turning to social media to express their financial dissatisfaction, making a joke of so-called recession indicators.)

To be sure, Americans are feeling the pain of higher prices, with various reports showing many have exhausted their savings and have been leaning on credit cards to make ends meet.

With sweeping U.S. tariffs now going into effect, concern is heightened about the rising cost of goods and making ends meet, especially as the economy shows signs of contracting.

“Consumers are going to have to pay for the increase in prices these tariffs are going to cause and there is no way around it,” said Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James. “The alternative is to reduce consumption, especially in discretionary items.”

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A survey by Gallup last month found that inflation, housing costs and lack of money are the most commonly cited financial challenges by U.S. adults.

According to the poll, which was conducted during a period of extreme market volatility after the Trump administration announced new tariffs on most U.S. trading partners, a record 53% of consumers said their financial situation was getting worse, while just 38% said it was getting better. Additionally, 57% worried about not being able to maintain their standard of living.

A separate report by Bankrate found that 43% of adults said money now negatively affects their mental health, at least occasionally, causing anxiety, stress, worrisome thoughts, loss of sleep and depression.

“Tariffs, inflation, higher interest rates and a recession are all forces that Americans can’t prevent, no matter how much they want to,” Sarah Foster, Bankrate’s economic analyst, said in an email. “Taking proactive steps to manage your finances can provide a sense of stability and security.”

Financial experts say TikTok’s latest microtrends can provide a short-term boost to help reach some savings goals, however, there is no substitute for practicing good long-term habits.

“Ignore what others are doing with their money,” said Daniel Milan, managing partner of Cornerstone Financial Services in Southfield, Michigan. “That to me is a very foundational tenet for any household.”

Milan says financial planning starts with a budget. “People don’t like that word,” he said. But rather than jumping on the latest TikTok trend, “sit down and pencil out what you actually are spending.”

Milan recommends flagging excess expenses that can be cut, considering which are “wants” or “needs.” Milan says he did this himself at the start of the year after getting married, and was able to cut out some recurring bills as well as subscription services that overlapped with his wife’s — to the tune of $800 a month.

“That type of exercise can be extraordinarily powerful from a cash flow perspective,” he said.

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