Warren Buffett Warned of Risks to the U.S. Dollar

Warren Buffett spent more than six decades building Berkshire Hathaway into one of America's most powerful companies.

Warren Buffett during an address to shareholders at one of Berkshire Hathaway's annual meetings. [Photo: Bill Gates Facebook]

At his final annual shareholder meeting as CEO in May 2025, Buffett warned shareholders about the long-term risks posed by U.S. fiscal policy and the dollar.

"We wouldn't want to be owning anything that we thought was in a currency that was really going to hell, and that's the big thing we worry about with the U.S. currency," Buffett told shareholders.

Buffett was not saying that the dollar had already collapsed.

Rather, he was expressing concern about the potential effects of persistent government deficits and borrowing on the currency's long-term value.

"Fiscal policy is what scares me in the U.S.," he said.

Buffett also described the U.S. fiscal deficit as unsustainable over a prolonged period. He said the situation could eventually become difficult to control if policymakers failed to address it.

The comments came as Buffett announced his intention to step down as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO at the end of 2025, with Greg Abel designated as his successor.

Buffett remained chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.

The article's reference to a $1.97 trillion fiscal 2026 deficit and federal debt exceeding $40 trillion should be presented with the relevant fiscal-year date because those figures are separate from Buffett's May 2025 remarks.