Our first piece today blew my mind. Seriously, it taught me something new.
I often get questions about where people should park there money to “get a good return safely in the short term”. I’ve always said that it can’t be done. Turns out, I’m wrong.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal (so, probable paywall unless you know how to bypass such a thing), Jason Zweig shares the safe, high-return trade hiding in plain sight.
The bottom line: The Series I Savings Bond is currently yielding an inflation-protected 3.54% per year. You can purchase a maximum of $10,000 per year. You must hold the bond for at least a year, and if you cash it in before five years then you pay a penalty equal to three months of interest. Even with that penalty, this is far and away the best short-term investment I’ve seen in recent years.
[Hat tip to Michael Kitces for sharing this info.]
Speaking of inflation, our next article explores current worries about rising prices…
Prices are rising. Should we be worried about inflation? [Physician on Fire] — “Inflation is an intrinsic part of our current economic system. That’s both good and bad. It can steal our dollars’ value, but it’s a sign of widespread economic growth—and that benefits us all. And when concerns arise, we can usually protect ourselves from inflation’s grasp using tested investment methods.”
And we’ll close things out today with a piece that debunks one of my most-loathed pieces of “common knowledge”: that Millennials are somehow economic victims, another lost generation.
No, Millennials aren’t poorer than previous generations. [Of Dollars and Data] — “Millennials seem to be accumulating financial assets at the same rate that GenX and Baby Boomers did. Of course, financial assets aren’t the only metric that matters, so let’s look at total net worth (assets – liabilities) as well.”
And that’s it for today. No video, I’m afraid, but that’s because these three pieces are just too good. You should read them instead of laughing at funny animals. 😉
We’ll be back next week with more of the best from the world of personal finance. See you then.