September 1, 2022

Inflation has been largely talked about for the past several months and many people see its effects directly in places like the grocery store or utility bills. In June, the Federal Reserve approved their biggest interest rate increase since 1991 with a primary goal of getting inflation under control.

Understanding the options available to you to help plan ahead for your future and minimizing the impacts of inflation is important. Our financial professionals are here to help guide you through that process and ensure that you have a plan that meets your needs.

Here are three action steps you can take to respond to rising inflation:

• Invest in brokerage accounts and employer sponsored retirement plans. The average annualized returns of S&P 500 is around 10%. This, in addition to opening a brokerage account for additional savings where you can take advantage of compounding can be extremely important for beating inflation. A diversified investment portfolio is also crucial.
• Evaluate real estate and commodities. Tangible assets, such as commodities and real estate can also be beneficial for combating inflation. Even Warren Buffett has talked broadly about investing in real estate as a way to deal with inflation problems.
• Look for tax efficiency opportunities. Anytime you can sit down and reevaluate your tax strategy is beneficial. Investments that tend to lose less of their returns to taxes are better suited for taxable accounts, whereas those that lose more of their returns to taxes should be designated to tax advantaged accounts.

Sit down and talk with your team of financial professionals to decide what is most appropriate for you and the strategies aligned to help you achieve better benefits with inflation.