If you've noticed that your grocery bill has increased regardless of the fact that you're buying the same quantity of food, you're witnessing the effects of the country's latest inflation spike. Here are some places I like to keep my money safe from rising inflation.
1. Cash
While cash is not a growth asset, it will normally keep up with inflation in nominal terms if inflation is accompanied by rising short-term interest rates.
2. Certificates of Guaranteed Investment (GICs)
GICs, which are one step above a savings account, is another low-risk investment option that can pay slightly higher interest depending on the term length. Most GICs are available in terms ranging from one to five years; the longer the term, the higher the interest rate.
Know that when you buy a GIC, you're locking in your money for the term. If you withdraw your funds before the term expires, you may face a steep penalty.
3. Money Market Mutual Funds
Money market funds were once the preferred option for investors looking to park cash on the sidelines. A money market fund is a mutual fund that only invests in cash or cash-like instruments in order to provide investors with a safe and liquid place to keep their money.
Most money market funds today fail to keep up with inflation, so investors looking for a low-risk investment option for their cash should consider high-interest savings account or GIC.
4. Gold is a Good Inflation Hedge
Gold's traditional selling point has been its ability to act as an inflation hedge. Gold retains its value as an actual, tangible asset for the most part, unlike paper currencies such as the dollar, which lose purchasing power when inflation is high.
Gold usually rises in value as inflation rises. Gold, on the other hand, is not a perfect inflation hedge. Other factors can influence its prices, which can vary dramatically from year to year—which means its inflation-adjusted returns can as well.
5. Bitcoin is an excellent inflation hedge.
In theory, bitcoin could be a good inflation hedge. Assets that investors flock to in times of rising prices—so-called safe-haven investments such as precious metals and real estate—are scarce or move in the opposite direction of paper money or financial assets. Bitcoin is a good fit.
The issue is that bitcoin has little investment history: It was founded in 2009 and has only been actively traded for a decade or so, and inflation hasn't been a major factor for the majority of its short life, but it's still one of my favorite places to invest.
Inflation is a risk that every investor faces. Money loses value over time, and the level of inflation in an economy varies according to current events.
There are no low-risk, high-return investments. However, there are several places where risk-averse investors can park their savings while still keeping up with, or beating, inflation.
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