“Bacon’s the best. Even the frying of bacon sounds like applause. Bacon bits are like the fairy dust of the food community.”
– Jim Gaffigan
Let’s face it: talking about bacon is always fun. It can even help illustrate a topic that has been in the financial media a lot lately — inflation. In 1991, the price of a pound of bacon cost $2.22 (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Thirty years later, in August of 2021, a pound cost $7.10. That’s inflation at work. Inflation is simply the rise in the cost of living, and it eats away at your money’s purchasing power and may not buy as much retirement in the future as it does today.
Over the past several months, inflation has crept back into the financial media limelight. Last year, price increases began to grow out of pandemic-related shutdowns and supply chain disruptions. As an example, the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, climbed 5.4% in September of 2021 compared with the prior year.
Keep Inflation in Mind in Your Retirement Planning
When you are planning for retirement, one thing is a given: the cost of basic necessities as well as other things you enjoy will continue to rise. The following table provides some hypothetical examples to help increase your awareness of inflation.
2021 prices are based on Kmotion Research and general averages, including data from the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Projections for 2051 prices assume a 3% annual inflation rate.
Get Real With Inflation
When managing inflation risk with your investments, it’s important to understand a couple of basic terms. Your nominal rate of return is the amount of money you make on an investment before expenses — this rate of return does not take inflation into account. Your real rate of return is the nominal return on your investment minus the inflation rate, and gives you a better sense of the purchasing power of the money you make from your investments. For example, if your investment portfolio earns an 8% rate of return in a particular year, and the inflation rate is currently 3%, your real rate of return is just 5%.
Conventional wisdom says you should consider keeping an appropriate amount of your assets allocated to stocks and stock mutual funds to help offset inflation risk. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, historical average stock returns have stayed ahead of inflation over the long term.
Why Inflation Is Important To Your Financial Plan
All of this is to tell you a huge mistake many people make, including real estate professionals. There are many do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) out there that will run spreadsheets of expected earnings and savings and multiply it by an expected average return number. Well, there is fault in that for many reasons. But, for now let’s just say the neglect of considering the erosion of inflation. The S&P 500 averages around 8%-9% annually in return, but after inflation that number is different. And, just like returns, inflation is a moving target from year-to-year. If inflations moves to numbers like we are seeing today (over 6%) in the years right before your retirement, well, then, that will have a huge potential negative impact on your retirement and financial plan!
If you want to see how inflation is impacting your retirement planning, just schedule a meeting.
This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal or investment advice. If you are seeking investment advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.
Kmotion, Inc., 412 Beavercreek Road, Suite 611, Oregon City, OR 97045; www.kmotion.com
©2021 Kmotion, Inc. This newsletter is a publication of Kmotion, Inc., whose role is solely that of publisher. The articles and opinions in this newsletter are those of Kmotion. The articles and opinions are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Nothing in this publication shall be construed as providing investment counseling or directing employees to participate in any investment program in any way. Please consult your financial advisor or other appropriate professional for further assistance with regard to your individual situation.
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