The Iran War's Impact on Your Retirement Is Long, but Nobody's Discussing It

Chris AdamTue, May 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC

0

If you’ve been to the grocery store lately or have a vehicle to fill up on a regular basis, there’s no doubt you’ve been feeling some monetary anxiety as the war in Iran continues. While the economic effects are nothing compared to the horrors of war, we also can't pretend this conflict doesn't affect daily life at home.

According to several personal finance experts who spoke with MoneyLion, there are two other aspects of the war impact worth watching now. First, they said to look beyond what’s happening in Iran to see the full-scale geopolitical conflict underway and how it’s affecting the stock market. Second, the experts said that the effects of inflation may be more far-reaching than many consumers realize due to geopolitical tensions.

Here are the ramifications you might not have seen coming.

Just Relax: I’m a Financial Advisor: Here’s How Often You Should Check Your Retirement Account Balance

Don’t Delay: Start Growing Your Net Worth With Smarter Tracking

The Impact of Geopolitical Conflict

While recent global events such as geopolitical tensions have resulted in increased market volatility, Marguerita Cheng, certified financial planner (CFP), CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth, said she doesn’t advise clients to delay their financial goals because of this situation.

“Sometimes, the most challenging aspect of investing can be staying invested,” she added. “I advised clients to address both short-term needs for liquidity and stability or income and long-term needs for growth or income in the future.”

The Reasons To Be Cautious

“Geopolitical risk is a huge, underdiscussed factor in long-term planning,” said Andrew Lokenauth, founder of the blog Fluent in Finance. “Most people think geopolitical conflict is a stock market story. It's not. It's a retirement story.”

According to Lokenauth, when he worked at J.P. Morgan during past energy shocks, the thing that quietly destroyed wealth wasn't a market crash. Instead, he said, it was inflation grinding away at purchasing power while people weren't paying attention.

Advertisement

“The Iran war has pushed oil prices up roughly 33% from pre-war levels and that feeds directly into the cost of everything retirees spend on,” Lokenauth added. “Groceries, utilities and healthcare. If you're living on a fixed income or drawing down a portfolio, that's a slow bleed most people won't notice until it's too late.”

The Expectations for Inflation

Per Melanie Musson, a finance expert with Quote.com, if you’re retiring soon, you may not be thinking about the full impact of inflation.

“Surprisingly, inflation typically takes longer to recover from war than the stock market does,” she said. “If your costs in retirement increase, your investments won’t go as far. And the closer you get to retirement, the less time you have to recover and prepare.”

The Things You Can Do Now

Musson said that sitting back and worrying won’t help you, but devising a workable plan will benefit your finances. For example, she said some options include working an extra year or living more frugally.

“We’re still battling the inflation problems from 2022,” said Brandon Gregg, CFP, advisor with BBK Wealth Management. “There's a lot of concern that higher inflation will come from this war, leading to higher costs all around.”

When it comes to responding to the geopolitical tensions and inflation impacts, many of the money experts who talked to MoneyLion said an easy way to start protecting your money is simply to pay attention to the stock market, oil prices and Fed rate decisions.

“The more people are engaged with what's happening and what it means for their specific situation, the better positioned they tend to be,” said Taylor Kovar, CFP, co-founder of UseKlear.com.

This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.

More From MoneyLion:

Discover Side Hustles To Grow Your Earnings and Make More Money

Warren Buffett: If You're Going To Splurge, Splurge on These 3 Things

7 Dollar Tree Items That Look Like They Cost $20 — But They're Only $1.25

Stop Guessing and Start Seeing Your Real Net Worth

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Money”