For those at or near retirement, the topic of inflation is certainly a cause for concern. A study several years ago by the Society of Actuaries revealed that 71% of folks approaching retirement were “very or somewhat concerned about inflation risk.” Many baby boomers are now or will shortly face a very difficult decision. Will I beat inflation if I invest my retirement plan assets safely (say in CDs – FYI the answer is “no”) or should I take on more risk (should I invest some percentage of my retirement account in equities) and try to keep up with (or beat) inflation? Of course, while allocating some percentage of your account to equities will, over the long haul, probably help you to beat inflation, you are subjecting your retirement assets to the volatility of the market.
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