“Everybody says, ‘I have problems overcooking steak on the grill,’ but just take it off earlier!” – Bobby Flay
That quote above sounds so simple doesn’t it. But alas, life and money are rarely that simple. Life is complex. However, I believe if you can slow down and simplify things, then you are just better off in the long run.
This post is all about beating inflation.
I previously provided a video explanation on this topic by the richest duck in the money business: Scrooge McDuck.
See my post Money Lessons I Learned from Scrooge McDuck
Before we get into our talk about inflation, let’s discuss who is Bobby Flay and why do we need to beat him?
Bobby Flay is a top rated chef in the culinary world.
Beat Bobby Flay is an American cooking competition show on the Food Network. It features various chefs competing against Bobby Flay. The show is taped in front of a live audience. Talk about being in a pressure cooker. Haha!
The goal is to be the best by competing against the best and winning.
What I like about Bobby Flay is his sheer intensity for what he does. He has a one track mind. One goal. One aim. To make the best food.
I think if more people had this type of commitment and focus when it comes to their finances, then more people would be financially secure. Financial independence is the goal. You should tailor your choices and actions on doing everything in your power to obtain that goal with steadfastness and patience.
Here are some more words of wisdom from Bobby.
“Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course.”
Basically, focus on eating healthy because health equals wealth.
Therefore, I want you to focus on investing more and spending less.
Avoid cryto scams and pyramid schemes.
Go index heavy. Reverse the psychology of your 401k by making stocks the side dish and index funds the main course.
When it comes to wealth, please just be boring. You can simply invest in index funds like the VFIAX. A return rate of 10 percent with $20,000 invested annually would make you a millionaire in 18 years. Remember that slow and steady wins the race.
However, inflation is nipping at your heels.
If there is a 3 percent inflation rate, then that would mean prices would double about every 24 years.
Since 2000, the average U.S. inflation rate has been approximately 2.55% per year, resulting in a cumulative price increase of about 87.60%. This means that a dollar in 2000 had the same purchasing power as about $1.88 in 2025. While the rate was 3.4% in 2000, it fluctuated annually, with a significant increase above 9% in 2022.
How can you beat it?
By investing of course.
The stock market has been on a tear. This is the best it has ever performed (2009-2024) in its over 200 years of existence. Investing $1,000 in stocks like Nvidia or Costco over the last 15-30 years has made many people millionaires.
Monster Beverage (MNST):
This company has demonstrated exceptional growth over 30 years, delivering a return of over 444,000%.
Nvidia (NVDA):
A tech giant, Nvidia has also seen tremendous long-term gains, with a 30-year return exceeding 372,000%.
If inflation is averaging about 2-3 percent, but stocks are averaging 10 percent or more means you are beating inflation.
Therefore, I am continuing to pour money into stocks. My goal is to have $1 million in investments. Within the next few years I am aiming to invest 20-30 percent of my income. This is well above the 10-15 percent that is recommended. What this means to me is cha-ching. It’s awesome to open up those investment statements and see more there than when you started. My interest is earning interest.
Since being featured on Business Insider last year, I have blown past $350,000 in investments. Within a little over a year, I am within mere thousands of $515,000. I won’t stop until I reach $1 million.
I may not be beating Bobby Flay any time soon, but I sure am beating inflation. Heck, I’m kicking its a$$ and taking names.
Like what you heard?
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I’ll be here all week.
Miriam started Greenbacks Magnet in 2016 to keep a scorecard of her goal of $1M in investable assets. Armed with a Master in Management (MiM) and a calculator, she teaches readers how to achieve financial independence while also helping them learn how to smell the roses along the way. The palpable response she got from sharing her personal finance goal in a public speaking course at Georgetown University encouraged her to share her story and teach finance on her website. She invests in AI companies as artificial intelligence is the new iPhone of the moment as she likes to invest in companies that are disruptive.