As a MASSMutual employee earning a good wage, remember when everyday products were much cheaper than they are now? That's a real-life example of inflation, an unavoidable phenomenon that erodes the value of money by pushing prices up over time. If capital isn't being put to work and making a return during inflationary periods, the purchasing power of investor capital is declining.

As a MASSMutual employee interested in investing, it is important to consider how investors have a wide range of tools at their disposal to protect their portfolios from inflation. Some prefer inflation-protected bonds, while others swear by commodities such as gold as effective inflation hedges. Investing in stocks has historically been one of the best ways to offset, or even outpace, inflation's degenerative effects on one's savings. For MASSMutual employees, it is important to account for this information when planning your finances as to create a portfolio that minimizes volatility and accounts for inflation.

We still have a tremendous amount of interest from advisors looking into commodity funds, ETFs and other inflation protection instruments to protect against potential inflation.

The inflation challenge for retirees is easier to manage when you understand the income streams MASSMutual provides. According to publicly available information, MASSMutual maintains an active defined benefit pension plan, which provides retirement income based on factors such as years of service and compensation history. MASSMutual does not appear to offer a formal retiree healthcare program, making healthcare coverage planning an important consideration if you retire before age 65. Understanding how each MASSMutual benefit interacts with the others inside your retirement plan gives you the confidence to make well-informed decisions.