Prices that continue to rise have become something that Americans cannot avoid. You are constantly bombarded about inflation on all your news feeds, you notice it when you shop at your local grocery store, and hopefully, you have given thought to how inflation might be having an impact on your investments.

Inflation kills your wealth silently. It can erode the purchasing power of your investor’s portfolio, even when it is still maintaining positive returns year after year.

Any long-term investments that you have should be earning a minimum of 4% of the average U.S. inflation rate that dates back to 1959, to stop you from losing any ground. Below is a closer look at the investments that you can rely on to help you as an investor combat inflation.

Investing in an asset with a return that outpaces the inflation rate is a great way for consumers to outpace inflation.

Experts usually suggest investing in a diversified index fund that is based on broad-market indexes such as the S&P 500, rather than trying to hold on to funds in the form of cash. This is an approach that offers a way for you to grow and diversify your portfolio, while at the same time lowering the risks relating to loss caused by inflation.

When it comes to reinvesting your returns, the sooner you decide to invest along with how long you remain invested, the better, regardless of where the markets might be.

Even though it is not possible to predict market trends in the future, long-term, smart investing in a certain asset class is still a great way to combat inflation. Below are some of the best assets to consider:

Outpace Inflation By Investing In Gold

Gold remains the oldest of hedges against inflation. This precious metal has experienced average gains of 10% annually over the last 20 years between September 2001 and September 2021. Over this same time frame, inflation averaged 2%, which means investors netted a 7% rate of return.

But avoid putting your entire life savings into a precious metal such as gold, since there are a few factors, you first need to understand when it comes to gold investments.

When investing in gold physically, there are costs involved to insure and store bullion and coins. This can detract from your returns. Investing in gold-focused ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and mutual funds can drastically lower these costs, yet it is still importance to keep in mind that gold prices are extremely volatile, particularly across the short term.

You should also gain an understanding of whether the funds you have chosen are aimed at tracking the gold price or rather on the gold mining enterprises. Both are favorable methods to experiment in the gold markets, yet the returns on each can vary considerably.

More and more investors are looking to protect their wealth by adding some precious metals to their portfolio.  Read this guide if you would like to know how to open a precious metals IRA.

Investments In Stocks To Outsmart Inflation

Deciding to invest in stocks to diversify your portfolio is also a great way to keep inflation at bay. From the year July 2013 to July 2023, the S&P 500 was one of the key benchmarks for U.S. stocks that generates an average annual return of close to 10% when using dividends reinvested. After you have accounted for inflation, you will still be receiving around 8% on average on your annual returns.

Even with the drastic price gains of today, you would have still soundly trounced these rising prices. From July 2013 to July 2023, inflation increased at an annual rate of around 3%.

There is no real requirement to go the route of choosing individual stocks. This is incredibly risky and research-intensive to try and take advantage of this historic growth type. You can start by choosing an S&P 500 ETF or S&P 500 index fund, this will track the return of the index while keeping costs very low. Since these contain many stocks (hundreds), they offer low-cost, simple diversification, which lowers portfolio and risk management headaches.

Keep in mind that investing in any stock will never be risk-free. You can lose money over the shorter term, and when it comes to the stock-index funds, you won’t be allowed to choose the companies where your funds are invested in. If you have concerns about keeping your hard-earned money away from any of the companies you do not ethically agree with, you may be better off with an ESG (environmental, social, and governance) fund instead.

Real Estate

Most inflation-averse investors will turn to other assets such as real estate to provide a hedge when it comes to their holdings. However, the variability and size of this particular market often make it close to impossible to generalize when it comes to this specific asset class.

An analysis conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that “retail property” has shown to be the very best real estate category when it comes to beating inflation, while industrial properties and apartment buildings seemed to fare less well. The MIT analysis made attempts to make sure appreciation, maintenance costs, and inflation were factored in when deciding on what real estate type performed the best (over the long term).

Single-family home ownership could offer an attractive hedge against factors such as inflation, which would depend on the conditions of the local market. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, when taken on aggregate, the U.S. value of homes has experienced a 3% average growth annually since 1989. Yet this is data that doesn’t account for maintenance or other types of costs.

Here is one of the issues with investing in real estate. It will require a large buy-in and various costs involved for maintenance and financing. This is when trusts in real estate investments can offer an easier method for investors wanting to add diversification to their portfolios while taking advantage of the inflation-hedging benefits that real estate provides. To learn more, you can visit: https://www.wellingscapital.com/blog/real-estate-inflation-hedge

When investing in REITs, can be compared to purchasing funds that own real-estate assets exclusively. Regulations stipulate that they must pay out dividends regularly, which makes these especially appealing to many income investors.

At the same time, REITs, have offered a robust performance historically. Over the past ten years, the REIT Index has had an annual return average of over 9%. Making this option one of the best ways to combat inflation.

An Introduction To Inflation

Persistent deflation could result in increasing unemployment and undermining the financial systems and the “broader economy” by making it harder to service debts. The Federal Reserve in the U.S. has targeted a 2% inflation average rate over the years since it is most consistent when it comes to the Reserve’s dual mandate which involves promoting maximum employment and price stability.

A sharp deviation from modest inflation rates (in either direction) will present a challenge for investors along with consumers. This is because they pose the risk of causing dramatic economic disruption. They also have unpredictable and varying effects on different asset classes.

When it comes to economics, the term inflation is described as “a quantitive measure”, which is a measure of “quantity over quality” which tracks the “rate of change” in prices for a standard “basket of goods”. Inflation is typically defined as a price increase over time, while the rate of these increases uses a percentage to express these increases.

The main advantage of choosing to invest during inflation would be to preserve the value of your portfolio. The second benefit would be to ensure your nest egg continues to grow. It could also prompt you to diversify, which is also a worthwhile consideration. Spreading the risks across multiple holdings is one of the time-honored methods of constructing a portfolio and it also applies to inflation-fighting methods as well as asset-growth strategies.

There aren’t any guarantees. The traditional inflation hedges won’t always work, while a unique economic condition may in some cases deliver outstanding results to a surprising asset, while what may have seemed like a winner is left far behind.

Most likely you have other concerns that are more immediate, such as credit card debt, car loans, and student loans. And your focus might be more on raising your children and purchasing a home instead of retirement planning if you are in your 40s or 30s. However, the sooner you can start saving for your retirement regularly, the more time it will give your money to increase (and just a small amount of extra can sometimes make a significant difference).

The following are 10 useful tips to help you begin planning and saving for your retirement.

Just get started

When it comes to retirement savings, the most important tip is to get started saving for your retirement as soon as possible. The most effective and first step that you need to take is to establish the habit of placing money into your retirement account every pay period.

It is worthwhile to invest even small amounts of money. For example, say you put $75 per month into your retirement account starting when you were 25 years old and ending when you were 65. Over 40 years that would add up to $36,000 ($75 x 12 months per year x 40 years). If you assume a moderate return of 8%, you could easily turn the $36,000 into at least $260,-000 when you invest the money into a retirement plan such as a 401(k) plan account or individual retirement account (IRA).

Your money is working for you when you can turn $36,000 into $260,000.

Get automatic payments set up for your retirement account

if automatic payroll deductions are offered by your employer, take full advantage of this. Have a certain percentage of your pay set aside so that it goes directly into your retirement savings account before a deposit is made to your checking account. This will allow you to avoid any temptations of using the money for other things besides retirement savings.

However, it isn’t a problem if payroll deductions are not offered by your employer. An automatic transfer can still be set up from your savings or checking account into your retirement account.

Find out if your company offers an employer match

A 401(k) retirement plan is offered by many companies to promote saving. Many employers will partially match the amount that you invest for retirement. For example, if 6% of your total payment is invested and your employer matches $.50 on each dollar, an additional3% will be put into your account. So instead of 6% being added, it will be 9% instead.

Even if money is tight, you should try to contribute the matching amount at least to get the free money being offered by your employer.

As you earn more money, save more

As your career continues to progress you will most likely receive raises and promotions. Every time your income goes up, be sure to increase your retirement contribution. If your new contribution amount is in proportion with our raise, it will allow you to not only enjoy the extra income but extra retirement savings as well.

Defer taxes so you can make bigger contributions now

When you choose to use a tax-deferred retirement account, like a 401(k) or IRA, it will allow you to postpone paying taxes on your earnings and contributions until the money is withdrawn when you retire. A bigger untaxed contribution means you will have a larger sum of money that can continue to grow for several decades. This can make a significant difference to your retirement savings.

On the other hand, Roth IRAs are taxed upfront, so any withdrawals made in retirement are tax-free. This might be a better option, depending on your situation. You might need some professional advice to make this decision. This leads us to our next tip…

Consult with a trustworthy expert for advice

When it comes to your retirement account, It isn’t necessary to know all the details about investing to select the best options. If a retirement savings plan is offered by your employer it may give you access to advisors from the plan who can provide you with guidance on how to best save for retirement.

Before you open a retirement account, first ask for recommendations from people you trust. Search for a fee-based advisor who is willing to spend the time becoming familiar with your investment outlook and your retirement goals.

Make certain you will be able to sleep well at night

The higher the potential reward, the bigger the potential risk is. A bond can be purchased for funding a new bride in the town where you live (a fairly safe investment that will likely bring modest gains) or you could invest in a Croatian startup tech company (a much riskier investment with a much higher potential return).

It is essential for both your advisor and you to have a thorough understanding of the level of risk that you are comfortable taking. That will prevent you from repeatedly entering and leaving the stock market (which for retirement accounts has penalties associated with them). This will also help you sleep soundly no matter what reports you hear on the nightly news.

Understand that there is also risk associated with playing it too safe

Inflation occurs over time. So whether you are purchasing a new car, mobile phone, or shirt, most likely in 10 years (or a lot sooner) the same product is going to be more expensive.

Some low-risk investments might not be able to keep up over time with inflation. So although your money might be stable, you are losing money since in the future it will not buy as much.

Keep in mind there is safety in numbers

Mutual funds are used by many investors for funding their retirement savings accounts. A mutual fund manager purchases shares of several different companies and then places them into a single fund. Shares of this fund are then sold. So instead of purchasing shares from one company, you will buy partial shares from some different companies.

Your returns are kept high when this strategy is used since you are investing in multiple stocks, which keeps your risk low since you are not relying on just one company to be successful.

Think long term

The stock market will inevitably fluctuate. Things such as natural events, breakthrough technologies, and political anxiety can cause prices to rise and fall. When it comes to your retirement planning, keep in mind that the long game is what you are playing. Historically the stock market has been able to bounce back following turmoil. Other than the Great Depression, since 1900, the stock market in the US has increased each decade.

Keep in mind that investing for your retirement is not only about money being set aside to use later on. It is also about making sure your money continues to grow. No matter what stage your career is at or how old you are, it is time for you to consult with a financial advisor to come up with the best long-term strategy for you.

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