You conveniently ignored this part of my first sentence: "...all financial vehicles for savers have been gutted." The line about hedging inflation was just a supporting detail for my main idea.

And your assertion that TIPS funds lags inflation doesn't hold water. Again, go compare the past year of inflation vs VIPSX. They don't track. By simply being a market traded product, a TIPS fund has speculation built into the price. Which, I'm arguing, is against the best interest of the average person just trying to save for their future.