I think Chris stated it pretty elegantly via his actions in the market. He waited until it was clear to him that is was time to pounce and he did. Then losing 3% per year to inflation turned into gaining 19%+ because a good idea surfaced and he acted on it. He was patient until it was time to act.
You have to stalk an investment idea. Lie in wait until you can cull one from the herd. Don’t invest just because you think you are losing via inflation. One good investment idea can make that loss up tenfold.
Besides, if you go into short term treasuries, you are not losing (if you believe the government inflation numbers) you are simply parking your money. When it comes to investing, patience is the most valuable virtue you can have.
It is far better to wait until you are absolutely sure, then back up the truck. Gains are made in short bursts, when the timing is right and you have the certainty of your actions. Wait for the opportunity to show up…and when it does, you will be ready.
As far as your alternatives go, BRK-B is probably the only one I would consider (I am pretty conservative) and the only reason I would consider it is they have lots and lots of cash! They can weather some pretty bad financial storms or some pretty bad investments (WB has made some horrendous mistakes in his career but his good ideas have far outweighed his bad ones).
The bottom line for me is there is tons of conflicting information out there. Again, nobody really knows for sure what’s going to happen. Nobody. You just have to trust your gut meter (after due consideration of all the alternatives) and go with it.
Like Little Big Man said “Sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
