Forget what Wall Street says, risky investing is an option, not a starting point when it comes to your financial plan. No investment is perfectly safe and Economics Matters does not provide investment or any other form of financial, tax, or insurance advice. What this blog and podcast do is discuss options. Because TIPS -- Treasury Inflation Protected Securities -- are U.S. Treasury bonds, but ones that are protected against inflation, they are, arguably, the safest asset on the planet. As I write, the 30-year TIP is yield north of 2.6 percent real. That's very high historically speaking. TIPS yields on shorter maturity are also unusally high. Yes, Uncle Sam could default on his debt, but there are many moves he can take to get his fiscal house in order short of default -- something that would destroy all financial assets. Given this, given the high yields on TIPS, given the stock market's high volatility, this may be the time to lock in future real income. 

Kevin Esler returns on Economics Matters for his third appearance to walk us through his remarkable and totally free tool -- tipsladder.com. For those who haven't used tipsladder.com, this episode will show you everything you need to know to build your own ladder. For those who have used tipsladder.com, this podcast will be a refresher, but also show you tipsladder.com's latest features. Kevin is a retiree from Australia with an extensive background in software and technology, which he leveraged into a series of top software engineering jobs at a range of leading companies including IBM, HP, and Disney Plus. After moving to the US he settled into a series of roles that saw him specializing in evolving technology and software development.

Kevin is uniquely positioned as an authority due to his multifaceted expertise in tech and finance, particularly in understanding and managing investment strategies involving Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS).