Actually I pointed out that the car I bought 4 years ago, the gas to go in it, the homes I've bought recently, and the common food items I buy have all gone up by 10% or more annually.
The rest of my bills: cable, telephone, electricity, internet...all have by far exceeded 3% annually.
CPI may work in some areas of the country, but for at least a strong minority, its not equal to inflation.
Again...I am not saying tips returns arent good. I'm not saying that CPI is complete horsepuckey everywhere.
What I'm railing against is the commonly issued claim that tips and ibonds "remove inflation from the equation". They most certainly do not. They offset a portion of it and for short terms, I imagine its close for many...especially those in middle america. For longer periods, I would doubt it.
Going back to the old "if you could buy tips at 4% and live off the 4%, you're done for life"...I just dont think so.
If the claim is "tips and ibonds pay a decent total return, some of which you cant get at until you turn in the bond, and the inflation portion should offset much of the effects of inflation, especially if you live in a state that doesnt see annual increases of 20% on real estate, 10% on car costs, and 8-12% on food costs"...then I'm right with ya.