Four Inflation-Proof Investments

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Well, it looks like we're not out of the inflation once, just yet. If you are wondering why, please go back and listen to my episode on Trump's plan to impact inflation and interest rates. I've linked it in the show notes. In that episode, I give you four reasons why we may see inflation rise at the beginning of the year. And I know this might feel like bummer news. We think of inflation as a force that tends to eat away at our net worth.

but we can actually use inflation to grow our wealth in four ways. Today, I'm going to tell you how. But before we get there, let's recap what inflation does to different types of investments. Let's start with stocks. The stock market can be a mixed bag in inflationary times. Companies with strong pricing power like consumer staples, for example, which are things like household goods and food tend to perform better during inflationary times. But high growth companies often take a hit because rising interest rates make future earnings less valuable.

There's really no blanket rule across the board for stocks. It's pretty industry dependent. Traditional bonds are more straightforward. Inflation erodes the value of fixed income returns, so traditional bonds tend to underperform in inflationary environments. But then there are the hedges. Gold has long been considered a hedge against inflation, which I will get to in just a sec. The more dubious case studies are real estate and crypto. Property values and rental income often keep pace with or even outpace inflation.

So in some cases, real estate can exist as an inflation hedge, although that is not always the case. And the real estate market can boom or pop due to a bunch of other factors beyond inflation. On the even more volatile side, we have cryptocurrency. Crypto bros love to argue that the legacy coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum can act as a hedge against inflation due to their limited supply.

At the time I'm recording this, Bitcoin is over $91,000 a pop, which is a huge win for the crypto, bros. I will give them that. But let's not forget the 52-week low for crypto is less than half of that at $35,600-ish. Again, crypto is super volatile, and it's not really a hedge against anything. Historically, it hasn't been a hedge against inflation or the dollar, and it hasn't really been a store of value either.

It moves more like GameStop. It's value reflects the value that people think or sometimes want it to have. So what are actually good hedges against inflation? Here are my top four. Number one, series eye bonds. Yes, yes, longtime listeners know that I was obsessed with these when inflation peaked at 9% a few years ago.

But these bonds are my favorite for a reason. They're tied to inflation and keep up with rising prices, which means your returns go up even when inflation does. They're currently earning about 3.1%, but if inflation rises, so do I bond yields.

Ivons adjust twice a year so they'll adapt if inflation picks up. You can only buy series Ivons on the TreasuryDirect.gov website, much to my dismay because TreasuryDirect is not my most favorite interface, but it is worth it for an inflation-adjusted yield.

Number two, tips or treasury inflation protected securities. Tips are a type of bond issued by the federal government with a fixed interest rate and principle that varies with inflation. So in other words, tips are really similar to I bonds in that tips are also inflation adjusted.

But instead of interest rates adjusting with inflation, with tips, the principle of the bond adjusts for inflation. Tips are available on treasurydirect.gov like iBons, but unlike iBons, you can also find tips on some brokerages or secondary markets. So if you're interested in seeing what options are out there right now, I would start with seeing what your brokerage offers.

Number three, short-term securities. Treasury bills, also known as T-bills, which are federal bonds that mature in less than a year, and short-term certificates of deposit, also known as CDs, are safe, short-term ways to earn interest and preserve the value of your money. Money in the bank is worth a less after inflation, using short-term securities can help you earn a high enough interest rate to counteract that.

T-bills are backed by the US government. They're not like other securities. You're promised a set amount that ends in a zero. So for example, if your T-bill has a face value of $100, you'll pay $95.60 at an interest rate of 4.3% for one year. Then after that year, you'll get $100 back.

Again, you can buy them from TreasuryDirect.gov or from your brokerage account. CDs are like loans that you make to the bank. You hand over cash for a set amount of time and they return it with interest at the end of the term. A lot of banks offer them directly or you can purchase a brokerage CD from, you guessed it, your brokerage.

Number four, gold. I told you we'd circle back to this one. Gold and inflation are a classic pair. When inflation rises, gold prices often follow, making it a handy hedge. To invest in gold, you can, yes, buy actual gold. Costco sells gold bars, true story.

But the thing about owning gold is that you have to store it either in a safe spot in your house, which is inconvenient and annoying when you move, or at the bank or another secure storage option, which will come with storage fees. If that is so not your jam, you can also invest in companies that mine gold like Newmont Corp, which is ticker symbol NEM. That's the world's largest gold mining company, or you can buy a gold ETF that tracks gold prices like the most popular one is ticker symbol GLT.

Simple steps like these can keep your money's value steady even if prices start climbing. The key is to stay proactive. Small moves now can help you avoid it scrambling later. Remember, inflation is only the enemy if we're not ready for it. With these steps, you're already ahead of the curve.

For today's tip, you can take straight to the bank. Because inflation may drive prices to rise at the top of the year, Black Friday this year is a good time not just to get your shopping done, but also to make big purchases for yourself. If Trump does get his way with tariffs, products from China will go up. Obviously, Americans buy a lot of Chinese manufactured goods, especially in the tech space. So if you decide you need to make a big purchase like a laptop, check and also see what benefits your credit card offers.

Many credit card companies will automatically extend the warranty on items that you purchase on their card. For example, MasterCard will automatically double the manufacturer's warranty up to two years.

Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your money questions, moneyrehabatmoneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me and follow us on Instagram at Money News and TikTok at Money News Network for exclusive video content.

And lastly, thank you. And seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.