How can I protect my investments against inflation?

Even as your investments increase in value, inflation can eat away at what they're worth.

There are things investors can do to hedge the immediate effects of inflation, or earn a return that outpaces inflation over time. But it can be hard to predict.

"After-inflation returns are the only ones that matter for investors in the real world," says Robinson Crawford, an investment adviser with Montebello Avenue.

Even if inflation is currently rising more slowly than analysts predicted, it's better to be prepared.

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