Protecting Against An Inflation Surprise

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I don’t see much in the way of inflation coming down the pipeline. In fact, I see the same deflationary forces that are plaguing Japan and Europe to continue nipping at our heels for the next several years.

But… let’s say I’m wrong. Let’s say something comes out of left field that ignites inflation. What then?

I gave my thoughts on inflation to Kira Brecht, writing for US News and World Reports:

“Real estate is a natural inflation hedge that also tends to pay decent current income. A basket of REITs is generally a good addition to any portfolio, and now more than ever,” says Charles Sizemore, founder of Sizemore Capital Management.

One option for investors includes the Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ). Sizemore calls it “a very solid option. It gives broad diversification to the REIT sector and has the lowest fees of any of its competitors.”

Sizemore says the best advice for investors now may be to stay flexible.

“Be willing to invest in new ways you’ve never invested before,” he says. “We’re in uncharted territory. We’ve never had negative interest rates, nor have we had this level of central bank manipulation. We don’t know how this story ends, so we need to stay nimble and flexible.”

You can read the full article here.

Charles Sizemore is the principal of Sizemore Capital Management. As of this writing, he was long VNQ.