Series I Bonds, not TIPS; they only have that rate locked in for the next 6 months (you're getting a 0 percent real return), and you can only buy $10K per year (+$5K if you do the tax return withholding method).
Yeah. A lot of folks are talking about inflation bonds (not TIPS). I dunno man. I trust the winklevoss, 2 of the richest men on the planet (in Bitcoin, which is the only money that matters ;-)).
Why? Because a inflation protected security is denominated in the currency that is inflating. It’s kinda nonsensical really. How to achieve those returns? It’s money printing isn’t it. In the 20% extreme high yield example above, providing liquidity is a service, extremely meaningful in globalized digital economies.
I strongly recommend the crazy option. But that’s just me cos I’m crazy. :-)
I mean, it can. Not minutes, and minutes means internet speeds. Old school finance is in the order of days. Securities can collapse in minutes too I guess… Fiat currencies inflate and are worth less every year. In some places in the world, relative to the USD, which itself is an inflationary fiat currency, it could be 50%! What if you gave your life’s labor and saved it all in something a politician and banker could erase with a database record.
AFAIK, TreasuryDirect should be available to non-Americans. You'll need to get a U.S. Tax Identification Number, and figure out your tax situation though: it'll vary from country to country based on treaties with the U.S.
> In order to open a TreasuryDirect account, an individual or entity account manager must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN), be 18 years of age or over, and be legally competent. An entity must have a valid SSN or Employer Identification Number (EIN). The account owner must also have a United States address of record and have an account at a U.S. depository financial institution that will accept debits and credits using the Automated Clearing House method of payment.
AFAIUI, getting an SSN from abroad as a non-US citizen/resident is not realistic.
Ah, yeah, you're right. You can probably still buy them through a broker, though. Searching around a bit, it looks like you should be able to open an account with Schwab: https://international.schwab.com/