The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT: XLP) is also a means of defending yourself -- and your income -- from the inflationary pressures we're seeing now that may not abate anytime soon. Last month, consumer price increases reached their highest annualized levels since 1982, and despite the "transitory" rhetoric, not every expert believes the current cost surge is going to fade away in the near future. The Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities Index Fund (NASDAQ: VTIP), however, adapts to inflationary ebbs and flows so owners never suffer the impact of price changes.