Hi guys, and welcome to the Money podcast!

When I was born back in 1955, the median house price was around $11,000. Today, it's about $330,000.

When I got my learner's license in 1970, the median price of a new car was $3,500. Today? $41,000.

When my father was born, the average annual household income was $3,300. Today it's about $70,000.

These are all examples of inflation; the erosion of the purchasing power of the dollar. Ignore it at your peril, especially if you're anywhere near retirement age, since these are the years your income will likely rise less than prices will.

We tend to think of inflation as consistent, but it's not. Sometimes inflation is low; sometimes prices actually drop year to year.

But these days, inflation is rising faster than it has in years; in some cases, decades. So, what's an investor to do?

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to try to figure out if the inflation we're now experiencing is transitory, or if it's here to stay. And if we are entering a period of high inflation, we're going to talk about what you can do to fight back.

As usual, my co-host will be financial journalist Miranda Marquit. Listening in and sometimes contributing is producer and novice investor Aaron Freeman.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

• Inflation Fears Are Surging — Should You Be Scared, Too?
• 8 Things Still Getting Hammered by Inflation
• 15 Ways You Can Deflate Inflation
• S. Cities With the Highest Rates of Inflation in 2021
• Could Commodities Hold the Cure for Inflation?
• Should You Be Worried About Inflation Risk?
• 12 Smart Ways to Fight Price Inflation
• Wall Street Journal: Higher Inflation Is Here to Stay for Years, Economists Forecast
• The Hill: Is the current inflation spike really transitory?
• Bloomberg: Inflation Is Here. The Big Debate Is, Will It Stay?
• MarketWatch: Inflation is here to stay and may top 4% this year, says professor with a peerless record of predictions
• CNBC: Here's why businessman Ken Langone thinks the Fed is wrong and inflation is here to stay
• Kiplinger: Inflation Cools But Pressures Lurk
• Bloomberg: S. Inflation Forecasts Keep Rising as Supply Constraints Loom
• Bloomberg: Read the Runes. Inflation Is Showing Some Staying Power
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• Take our course Money Made Simple
• Miranda Marquit's website