{
  "id": 7545669,
  "title": "Ray Dalio says the US faces a debt crisis ‘in three years, give or take two.’ 5 things Americans can do now",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/ray-dalio-says-the-us-faces-a-debt-crisis-in-three-years-give-or-take",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-15T11:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/ray-dalio-says-us-faces-114500355.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warned that the United States is facing a severe debt crisis that could occur within three years, give or take two years, if current trends continue. In an August 21 LinkedIn post, Dalio compared the U.S. financial situation to a person on the brink of a heart attack, citing factors such as a $4 billion U.S. debt buyback, rising bond yields, a weak dollar, and a Japanese sell-off of U.S. bond holdings as indicators of potential doom.\n\nThe Congressional Budget Office predicts that the U.S. budget deficit will account for about 6% of the nation's GDP, or $1.9 trillion, in 2026, with a gross federal debt of $64 trillion by 2030. Dalio believes that if the course of action isn't altered, the economic consequences could be severe, likening the crisis to an \"economic heart attack\" that could happen any time.\n\nTo safeguard against the looming debt crisis, Dalio proposed several measures: reducing the budget deficit to 3% of GDP through spending cuts, lower interest rates, and increased tax revenue. He emphasized that these strategies should be implemented simultaneously to prevent a sudden, traumatic adjustment. Dalio also suggested diversifying investments in asset classes, underweighting bonds, and allocating a portion of the portfolio to Bitcoin and gold, with a 10% to 15% allocation to precious metals.\n\nFor Americans preparing for a potential debt crisis, financial planners Odaro Aisueni and Don Grant advised building an emergency fund, setting aside 18 months of living expenses in liquid cash equivalents, and considering dispersing parts of a significant estate to heirs in the form of a slush fund. These steps can provide financial security and peace of mind during uncertain economic times.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}