TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) are bonds issued by the US
government whose yields are linked to inflation. TIPS are attractive as diversifiers: they tend to have
low correlations with other asset classes. For
more information about TIPS, see
here.
There are several very similar investment options available. Which is
best?
All of the options discussed here will likely have very similar performance
and will get the job done quite well. You can't go far wrong choosing any
of the options listed here. The funds are listed in rough overall
order of preference.
Preferences are listed separately for use in
retirement accounts and for taxable accounts.
For a listing of our preferences in other asset classes, see
here.
Retirement Accounts (i.e., tax-deferred or tax-exempt accounts)
 | Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX). E/R: 0.12%.
Minimum initial investment = $100,000. This fund invests in TIPS.
|
| Schwab US TIPS ETF (SCHP). E/R: 0.14%. This ETF
tracks the Barclay's US Government Inflation-Linked Index. For more information on
ETFs, see here.
|
| DFA Inflation-Protected Securities Portfolio (DIPSX). E/R: 0.16%.
This fund buys TIPS with maturities of five to twenty years.
|
| SPDR Barclays TIPS ETF (IPE). E/R: 0.1845%. This ETF
tracks the Barclay's US Government Inflation-Linked Index. For more information on
ETFs, see here.
|
| Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Fund (VIPSX). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund invests in TIPS.
|
| iShares Barclays US TIPS Fund (TIP). E/R: 0.20%. This ETF
tracks the Barclays US Treasury Inflation Bond Index. For more information on
ETFs, see here.
|
| PIMCO Broad U.S. TIPS Index Fund (TIPZ). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund tracks the Merrill Lynch US Inflation-Linked Treasury Index.
For more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| PIMCO 1-5 Year U.S. TIPS Index Fund (STPZ). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund tracks the Merrill Lynch 1-5 Year US Inflation-Linked Treasury Index
of short-term TIPS. For more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| TIAA-CREF Inflation-Linked Bond Fund (TCILX). E/R: 0.30%. This
fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there
exist the above less costly alternatives.
|
| FFTW U.S. Inflation-Indexed Fund (FFIHX). E/R: 0.35%.
This fund invests in TIPS. This fund has a minimum initial investment of $100,000. We see little
reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly alternatives.
|
| PIMCO Real Return Fund Institutional Shares (PRRIX). E/R: 0.45%.
This fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly
alternatives.
|
| Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Fund (FINPX). E/R: 0.50%.
This fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly
alternatives. |
| Schwab US TIPS ETF (SCHP). E/R: 0.14%. This ETF
tracks the Barclay's US Government Inflation-Linked Index. For more information on
ETFs, see here.
|
| Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Fund Admiral Shares (VAIPX). E/R: 0.12%.
Minimum initial investment = $100,000. This fund invests in TIPS.
|
| DFA Inflation-Protected Securities Portfolio (DIPSX). E/R: 0.15%.
This fund buys TIPS with maturities of five to twenty years. Because of
the "buy and hold" nature of DFA fund investors, we expect that this fund will
be very capital-gains tax efficient.
|
| SPDR Barclays TIPS ETF (IPE). E/R: 0.1845%. This ETF
tracks the Barclay's US Government Inflation-Linked Index. As an
ETF, this fund is expected to be more (capital gains) tax-efficient than the
non-ETFs listed here. However, this asset class isn't expected to
generate very high capital gains distributions in the first place. For
more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| iShares Barclays US TIPS Fund (TIP). E/R: 0.20%. This ETF
tracks the Barclays US Treasury Inflation Bond Index. As an
ETF, this fund is expected to be more (capital gains) tax-efficient than the non-ETFs
listed here. However, this asset class isn't expected to generate very
high capital gains distributions in the first place. For more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| PIMCO Broad U.S. TIPS Index Fund (TIPZ). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund tracks the Merrill Lynch US Inflation-Linked Treasury Index.
For more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| PIMCO 1-5 Year U.S. TIPS Index Fund (STPZ). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund tracks the Merrill Lynch 1-5 Year US Inflation-Linked Treasury Index
of short-term TIPS. For more information on ETFs, see here.
|
| Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Fund (VIPSX). E/R: 0.20%.
This fund invests in TIPS.
|
| TIAA-CREF Inflation-Linked Bond Fund (TCILX). E/R: 0.30%. This
fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there
exist the above less costly alternatives.
|
| FFTW U.S. Inflation-Indexed Fund (FFIHX). E/R: 0.35%.
This fund invests in TIPS. This fund has a minimum initial investment of $100,000. We see little
reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly alternatives.
|
| PIMCO Real Return Fund Institutional Shares (PRRIX). E/R: 0.45%.
This fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly
alternatives.
|
| Fidelity Inflation-Protected Bond Fund (FINPX). E/R: 0.50%.
This fund invests in TIPS. We see little reason to consider it when there exist the above less costly
alternatives. |
