Protect your Profits: Build a Tariff Roadmap

Description

Higher input costs and slowing demand are intensifying concerns about the economic impact of tariffs—particularly for cooperatives balancing cost pressures with member value. In today’s unpredictable trade environment, volatility in tariff rates makes it difficult to plan ahead, but there are more than 20 actionable techniques to reduce tariff exposure and mitigate risk. This session will walk cooperative accounting and tax professionals through a step-by-step process to assess tariff-related vulnerabilities and develop a customized roadmap for action. You’ll explore three key strategic “buckets” that address everything from low-hanging cost savings to long-term structural planning, including: • Bucket 1: Uncovering immediate opportunities to reduce tariff costs through invoice analysis, tax strategies, accounting treatments, and more. • Bucket 2: Implementing short-term adjustments—like pricing models, inventory strategies, and cross-border warehousing—to protect margins. • Bucket 3: Reimagining your global footprint with scenario modeling for board-level decisions aimed at long-term profitability. By the end of the session, you’ll walk away with practical tools to shift your organization from defense to offense in managing tariff exposure. Learning Objectives: 1. Review three key new developments in trade policy. 2. Summarize short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to reduce tariff exposure. 3. Identify three foundational components of a tariff roadmap and understand how to build one.