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5 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Rising Inflation
Gold: No matter what, it's worth something
By John Waggoner, USA TODAY
Money market funds: Yields pace inflation
Strictly speaking, a money fund doesn’t fight inflation. But over time, money fund yields tend to keep up with inflation, and that’s important.
In an inflationary period, the last thing you want is an investment whose yield is fixed — such as a fixed-rate annuity or a bank CD. Your interest payments will buy less each passing month.
Money funds, which invest in short-term, high-quality IOUs, can’t guarantee a set yield. They can only give you what the short-term money market has to offer.
But as the Fed begins to fight inflation by raising interest rates, your fund’s yield will rise, too. You won’t get rich, but at least you’ll keep up.
Tips:
•Don’t bother with Treasury-only money funds; you don’t need them. You can buy three-month Treasury bills directly from the government at www.treasurydirect.gov.
•Look for funds with the lowest expenses. At today’s rates, you need to keep all the yield you can.
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