“The three tools Once you’ve sorted through your three considerations, you are ready to build your portfolio, and you’ll need only these three tools to do it. See, I promised this would be simple! 1. Stocks: VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund). Stocks provide the best returns over time and serve as our inflation hedge. This is our core wealth-building tool. (See Chapter 17 for variants of this same fund.) 2. Bonds: VBTLX (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund). Bonds provide income, tend to smooth out the rough ride of stocks, and serve as our deflation hedge. 3. Cash: Cash is good to have around to cover routine expenses and to meet emergencies. Cash is also king during times of deflation. The more prices drop, the more your cash can buy. But when prices rise (inflation), its value steadily erodes. In these days of low interest rates, idle cash doesn’t have much earning potential. I suggest you keep as little as possible on hand, consistent with your needs and comfort level. Typically, money market funds pay slightly more than bank savings accounts, but not always. And while money markets are considered to be extremely safe, they don’t offer the FDIC insurance (up to $250,000) found with bank accounts. At various times, we’ve kept our cash in our local bank or in our online bank. But normally, I slightly prefer the money market option, and at the moment here in 2025, ours is in Vanguard’s VMRXX (Vanguard Cash Reserves Federal Money Market Fund). So that’s it. Three simple tools. Two index mutual funds and a money market and/or bank account. A wealth-builder, an inflation hedge, a deflation hedge, and cash for daily needs and emergencies. As promised, the combination is low cost, effective, diversified, and simple. You can fine-tune your allocation in each investment to meet your own personal considerations. Want a smoother ride? Willing to accept a lower long-term return and slower wealth accumulation? Just increase the percentage in VBTLX and/or cash. Want maximum growth potential? Hold more in VTSAX. In the coming chapters, we’ll talk about index funds and bonds. Then we’ll explore a couple of specific strategies and portfolios to get you started and take a look at how to select the asset allocation best suited to your needs and temperament.”