A day later the dollar rebounded a bit.

“While Wall Street has been betting on Trump’s promises of lower taxes, lighter regulation and fiscal spending, some investors have hit the pause button before he takes office on Friday,” wrote Sinead Carew on Reuters.com. “While many are waiting for clarity on his policy plans, others are holding out for more fourth-quarter earnings reports.”

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So what can consumers expect from a Trump presidency when it comes to pocketbook issues?

Michael Molinski, an economist and former writer for MarketWatch, listed a number of things that might affect your personal finances.

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— “Trump could lead the country into a new global war on terrorism, sending financial markets into heightened volatility.”

— Trump “could significantly change some of the protective blankets that were used extensively by Americans after the financial crisis, such as unemployment insurance, Medicaid and food stamps.”

— Trump “could remove some homeowner protections, such as HARP, short sales, individual bankruptcy protection, etc.”

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— Trump “could adjust taxes up or down.”

And what can you do money-wise under a Trump presidency?

Pretty much what you would do no matter who is president.

“Now is a good time to have a checkup by a financial planner to review your age-appropriate asset allocation and make sure you’re on track,” Molinski wrote.

Get rid of debt.

“If the economy turns down, make sure you have enough assets and are not financially susceptible to any risks,” he writes.

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In a special report for USA Today, Molinski offered a number of ways to Trump-proof your finances.

You might also read an outlook by NerdWallet’s Michael Burge on Trump’s impact on mortgage rates.

I also found a rundown by Bankrate.com on how Trump’s 15 Cabinet secretaries could affect your finances very helpful.

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Color of Money question of the week

Are there Trump policies you think will help or hurt your finances? Send your comments to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Please include your name, city and state. In the subject line put “Trump.”

Live chat today

This is the second week of my New Year Challenge #NoDebtNoMess. If you decided to participate I want to hear from you. Join me live at noon (ET). To participate in the chat, click this link.

You’ll never be able to save enough for retirement

Are we scaring people not toward saving but away from it with terrifying proclamations that if they haven’t amassed say $1 million or $2 million or $3 million by the time they want to retire they won’t be able to survive?

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That’s the question I asked last week. Here’s what some of you had to say:

Mark Dziewit of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., wrote: “’Experts’ are not ‘frightening’ me, mostly because I view only a subset of these individuals as experts. Having said that, from what I read, many people should be frightened.”

Patricia Frame founder of the Virginia-based Strategies for Human Resources, wrote, “As an HR executive and a consultant, I have found repeatedly over the years that many people do not even contribute to their company 401(k)/403(b) plan because they feel that they cannot save enough to make it worthwhile. When I focus education on the difference that one latte or pack of cigarettes a week [can make], I consistently have seen participation rates rise. While this is especially true of lower-paid workers, there are also a lot of big buck folks in this category, too.

Frame continute, “I hate the million money references so common in the literature and ads. I think that they scare more folks from saving than convince to do so.’

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“Personally, I don’t feel that experts are scaring me about my retirement savings plan,” wrote Chris Lynn of Washington, D.C. “But I am also coming from a relatively privileged position: I am in my mid-30s and have a job (that I love) that provides a pension. I have also been saving in a Roth IRA since I started my job in my early 20s and just started to contribute to our 401(k) to diversify my tax liability for now and for later in life. Fear has the power to both motivate and paralyze depending on how it is wielded. If experts are starting to coalesce around the idea that younger people need to ramp up how much they should save, they should come with incremental steps on how to eventually get there without making it seem daunting.”

Betzy Phelan from Pennsylvania, who has a pension and far more saved than the average American, says financial experts talking about the lack of retirement savings have scared her.

“They have frightened me to DEATH!,” she wrote. “I don’t want to be a burden to my two children or be forced to eat cat food to survive. I have absolutely no education in finance, what to do or how to set up what I do have to last my lifetime with hopes of leaving something for my two sons. It’s mentally exhausting. Both of my parents lived well into their 80s.”

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Xavora Zee Holloway from New York isn’t frightened, writing: “I may listen to the analyst, researchers and predictions from the brokerage industry giants, but this is just an opinion and a guide. I attempt to learn and engage in dialogue with the money Advisors but I will continue to save and invest toward my Retirement goals. It is inevitable that one day I will no longer be able to earn an income from productive labor. I need to understand the world as it is currently being shaped around me. I keep an eye on medical costs, housing costs, and taxes. Those are also inevitable To not save or prepare at all for life after employment would be not only a catastrophe but irresponsible.”

“Absolutely I feel that financial analysts are attempting to frighten people about their retirement savings in order to generate additional investments in their funds,” said Lyn Burns of Houston. “Fear is a horrible burden under which to live. I remind myself to remember my mother-in-law who lived on her Army husband’s benefits in a very comfortable if modest home in a nice town in Texas. She spent more than she really should have before her death but died last year with enough to cover her expenses and even leave a bit for the family to travel across the state together for her internment with her husband. That’s about as good as it gets and didn’t require millions to achieve.”

Let’s continue the conversation. I want to hear from you. Do estimates of how much you need to retire scare you? Send your comments to colorofmoney@washpost.com.

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Color of Money columns this week

My columns this week focused on the 2017 #NoDebtNoMess Color of M0ney Challenge: