Protect yourself from inflation

[Bill Bonner’s Diary]( Protect Yourself From Inflation By Bill Bonner Thursday, June 17, 2021 The arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax than anything that has been enacted by our legislatures. – Legendary value investor, Warren Buffett, in Fortune magazine, 1977 [Bill Bonner] YOUGHAL, IRELAND – [Yesterday]( a dear reader asked how the average Joe can “get a leg up” in a dangerous and difficult world? It won’t be easy. Here’s the latest mouthful from Bloomberg: Fed Officials Rattle Rate-Hike Saber as Price Pressures Surprise What Bloomberg is trying to say is that the Federal Reserve is hinting that it might… possibly… perhaps... raise rates. Wednesday’s Fed forecast suggested that two increases are likely in 2023; none before. In other words, it said nothing. It could raise rates twice… three times… four times… even 10 times… and still be well below the level of consumer price increases. Which is to say, the Fed is now “behind the curve”… following the trend of events, not leading it… and hopelessly stuck in an [Inflate and Die]( trap. But that is just to say that the “average Joe” should prepare now: Consumer prices will probably continue to rise. And if not now… later. Recommended Link [Wall St Legend Who Picked Last “Investment of the Decade” Reveals “#1 for 2020s”]( [image]( Picking the right “investment of the decade” can transform your life… Microsoft in the ‘80s… Amazon in the ‘90s… Apple in the 2000s… Bitcoin in 2016… Any one of these could have made you a millionaire many times over. Starting with very little. Today, the Wall Street legend who picked the last “investment of the decade”… months (even years) before his peers… will finally reveal his new #1 pick for the 2020s. It’s not 5G, artificial intelligence, EVs, or clean energy. The answer will surprise you. And for those who take early action, it could lead to [a massive potential payout](. [See #1 Pick]( -- Price Crime So let’s look at the leg we’re trying to get up. Most people get their income from selling their time. A man with a backhoe can dig a trench faster than 10 men with shovels. The capital – the backhoe – is what makes a man’s time more valuable. But inflation takes away the backhoe. Here’s Warren Buffett to explain: High rates of inflation create a tax on capital that makes much corporate investment unwise – at least if measured by the criterion of a positive real investment return to owners. Remember, there are two sources of price increases. One is natural, normal, and honest… caused by changing economic circumstances and signaling a real change of value – like the invention of the backhoe. The other is phony – a product of the Fed’s money-printing. We have no quarrel with higher prices – if they’re the first kind. But the second kind are a scam, designed to mislead, confuse, and ultimately defraud. It is a crime perpetrated by the feds. Naturally, it favors the feds themselves and the elite, the top 10% of Americans they represent. They’re not going to rip themselves off. It’s the others – the less well-off 90% of the population – that gets robbed. [Featured: Watch Demo of Elon Musk’s Next Big Project]( Time Lag And it’s been going on a long time. Earnings for people in elite industries – medical care, education, media, defense, Wall Street, and government itself – have all gone up smartly over the last 30 years. Those for people in manufacturing, construction, mining, hospitality, and other uncool industries – where they produce real goods and services – have been mostly flat. And now, as inflation increases, so will the rip-off. As we explored yesterday, [wage increases don’t keep up with price increases](. Prices rise daily… weekly… monthly. Wages tend to be adjusted more slowly – on an annual basis… and in response to the previous year’s inflation. The wage-earner inevitably falls behind. The same is true for people who get Social Security; the adjustments lag the damage. False Premise But the whole idea of the Fed’s intentional inflation was a scam from the get-go… Going back to the mid-20th century, economists noticed something they called the Phillips Curve. It purported to reveal that as inflation rose, workers got higher wages and suffered less unemployment. This was shown to be false in the stagflation of the 1970s. But the “stimmy” fantasy survived. And the feds still claim they can stimulate the economy by inflating it with fake money. They even set an annual inflation target – 2% – as if they knew exactly how much a bar of soap should cost. The idea is laughable. But it still guides Fed policy. Recommended Link [Check Your Cell Phone ASAP]( [image]( Blindsided: Why 205 Million Americans Just Got This Nasty Update on Their Phones Smartphones carried by 205 million Americans have recently been automatically updated with a feature that would make most Americans uncomfortable. Your smartphone probably already has the feature, and if you knew what this update did, you might be furious. [Click here to see why…]( -- Official Rip Off Even before the 1970s, the French economist Jacques Rueff, explained the real reason the Phillips Curve was nonsense… and why inflation was so harmful to the working classes. As prices rise, the relative cost of an hour of labor goes down. As labor becomes cheaper, the demand for it increases. In other words, inflation only seemed to benefit the proletariat because it made the working man poorer! And now, ripping him off is official policy – intentional, deliberate, and disastrous. The government is spending trillions it doesn’t have. The Fed is printing the cash to cover the deficits. And the costs will fall – principally – [on the masses](. The elite are better able to protect themselves. They own property. And stocks. Their jobs, too, are more secure. They are also more sophisticated financially, and can move their money into inflation-resistant assets. The shrewdest of them may take advantage of the chaos to buy valuable assets at discount prices. (As the inflation crisis deepens, however, even many of the elite will suffer as their incomes fail to keep pace. That – when it no longer pays for the elite – will mark the beginning of the end of the inflation cycle.) [Featured: The 3-Stock Retirement Blueprint]( Ideal Investment But what can you do to safeguard your wealth while prices spiral? We mentioned real estate [yesterday](. At today’s low interest rates, a rental unit could turn out to be a very profitable asset. As prices rise, you should be able to raise the rent. And your fixed mortgage payments will become more and more affordable. But real estate requires attention and work – which might not be practical. As for stocks, [energy companies]( typically do well in an inflationary period. They already have their rigs and refineries in place, so there’s little extra cost to keeping the juice flowing. And they can increase prices without causing a significant drop in consumption. That’s why energy is on the buy side of our Trade of the Decade. [Paid-up Bonner-Denning Letter subscribers can read all about Bill’s latest Trade of the Decade [here](. To subscribe, [click here](. And colleague Tom Dyson has created a [model portfolio of energy-related stocks]( for his Tom’s Portfolio subscribers. To subscribe, [click here]( Infrastructure businesses may be even better. Toll roads. Hospitals. Airports. They have pricing power… and relatively little need for further investment. What you want for your business investments is the same thing you want for yourself – a steady, reliable stream of income with no need to spend more money to get it. The ideal investment may be in a “royalty” or “streaming” company. These are businesses that own the rights to a stream of income – from, say, gold mining – but are not actively mining themselves. As the price of gold goes up, their revenues increase in value, while they have few offsetting costs. Recommended Link [What’s Going On?]( [ad_img]( Former President Trump… Tech moguls like Zuckerberg… Gates… Musk… High-profile politicians and executives… Barack Obama among them… Even pop celebrities like Kim Kardashian… They’re ALL securing the most bizarre… remote… “offshore” properties you can imagine. To learn the concerning reason they might be doing this–and what it means for you… [Click here]( The Boy Scouts’ Motto But money is only a part of it. Inflation discombobulates a society. People get confused… distracted. They feel betrayed. They don’t know who to trust or what to believe. Our colleague [Dan Denning]( emphasizes the need to be prepared socially and psychologically… as well as financially. You want to be in a place where you are comfortable and safe, where you are as little exposed to chaos and rising prices as possible. You may not be able to increase your income; your time may become less valuable. So use your time to make yourself more independent. Plant a garden. Rick up some firewood. Sit on the porch and read our book, Win-Win or Lose. Buy gold. Sell bonds. Be happy. Amor fati. Regards, [signature] Bill Managing Editor’s Note: From the dawn of the human species to the height of modern civilization, in his latest book, Win-Win or Lose, Bill follows the progress of society through all its peaks and valleys. Along the way, he reveals the one rule society must follow if it hopes to progress… and shows what happens to those who ignore the rule of “win-win.” Paid-up Bonner-Denning Letter subscribers can download a copy of Win-Win or Lose [here](. To subscribe, and receive a complimentary copy, just [click here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you’re reading? Send your thoughts to [feedback@rogueeconomics.com](mailto:feedback@rogueeconomics.com?subject=Protect yourself from inflation). --------------------------------------------------------------- MAILBAG Readers debate inflation issues around the globe… suggest a show to watch… and call out politicians’ real motives… From what I can gather, China, if anything, has a far worse problem than we do with inflation-caused malinvestment, inefficiency, and waste. Their “ghost cities” alone have eaten up trillions of their fake money. Their economic model is just as much a dead-end as ours, if not more so. But, just as the Great Depression in the 1930s was much less of a disaster than it could have been for the majority of the population living on farms, the coming bust will be far less of a disaster for those countries that have all the factories. (Spoiler alert: It’s not the U.S.) – Dan C. I am currently watching Startup on Netflix, for two reasons. First, it is entertaining. Second, for those of us trying to learn more and more about the current and future economic world changes, this show entertains while helping viewers understand what is changing and why. – John F. We should all know that politicians love spending our money. They think voters love them for spending the money so we will vote for them. The reason, I think, is because we vote the same people in office over and over, so the politicians think that the people love them (and love the way they spend our money). That just shows you how out of touch the politicians are with the American people, and they don’t want to reach out and touch us or communicate with us… they just want our vote. – Andy K. Will the coming bust be worse for countries that are factory-driven? Or will every country be affected because of their poor money management? Write us at [feedback@rogueeconomics.com](mailto:feedback@rogueeconomics.com?subject=Protect yourself from inflation). IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… [Reclusive Best-Selling Author Issues Final Warning]( The Founder of the largest “underground” financial research firm in the world… Has one last warning to readers. Bill Bonner founded The Agora in 1978. Today – after 40-plus years in the publishing business – he’s coming forward with his final warning. And not a moment too soon… With offices in 11 countries… millions of daily readers… and two New York Times best-sellers to his name already… Bill’s latest – and last – warning may be the most important of his career. [Go here for the details – and to get a personal message from Bill.]( [image]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Get Instant Access Click to read these free reports and automatically sign up for daily research. [image]( [The Ultimate Guide to Taking Back Your Privacy]( [image]( [The Gold Investor’s Guide]( [image]( [An Insider's Guide to Making a Fortune from Small Tech Stocks]( [Rogue Economincs]( Rogue Economics 55 NE 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483 [www.rogueeconomics.com]( [Share]( [FACEBOOK]( [Tweet]( [TWITTER]( To ensure our emails continue reaching your inbox, please [add our email address]( to your address book. This editorial email containing advertisements was sent to {EMAIL} because you subscribed to this service. To stop receiving these emails, click [here](. Rogue Economics welcomes your feedback and questions. But please note: The law prohibits us from giving personalized advice. 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