How do you beat inflation with cash?
During inflationary periods, experts suggest making the most of your returns by investing in assets that have historically delivered returns that outpace the rate of inflation. Examples include diversified index funds, as well as carefully investing in things like gold, real estate, Series I savings bonds and TIPS.
Any money that you plan to deploy for a short-term goal — one happening in the next one or two years — is best kept in cash, Benz notes. Because there is no chance of a decline in value, “cash is the best option, even if inflation is a risk factor,” she says.
Traditional inflation-resistant assets include real estate, commodities and consumer cyclical stocks.
- Move Your Money into a High-Yield Savings Account. If you have your money stashed in a checking or basic savings account—or worse, at home—inflation erodes the value over time. ...
- Buy Treasury Bonds. ...
- Invest in the Stock Market. ...
- Diversify Your Portfolio. ...
- Explore Alternative Investments.
- Cut costs at the grocery store.
- Save money on transportation.
- Plan ahead for cheaper vacations.
- Check your budget.
- Pay down credit card debt.
- Earn money on your savings.
Several asset classes perform well in inflationary environments. Tangible assets, like real estate and commodities, have historically been seen as inflation hedges. Some specialized securities can maintain a portfolio's buying power, including certain sector stocks, inflation-indexed bonds, and securitized debt.
Cash means liquidity
During uncertain times, holding cash provides liquidity. You'll be more confident navigating through inflation knowing you have funds to meet short-term financial obligations like paying bills, salaries, and other expenses.
- Panicking.
- Pulling your money out of savings.
- Falling for easy-money schemes.
- Racking up credit card debt.
- Stocks.
- Real Estate.
- Private Credit.
- Junk Bonds.
- Index Funds.
- Buying a Business.
- High-End Art or Other Collectables.
- 1) Reassess your expenses and increase your savings.
- 2) Invest in things that increase in value over time.
- 3) Diversify your investments.
- 4) Leverage tax advantages.
What assets do best in inflation?
- TIPS. TIPS stands for Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. ...
- Cash. Cash is often overlooked as an inflation hedge, says Arnott. ...
- Short-term bonds. ...
- Stocks. ...
- Real estate. ...
- Gold. ...
- Commodities. ...
- Cryptocurrency.
Generally speaking, financial advisors would suggest that cash is one of the worst asset classes to hold during rising inflationary periods.
"Cash is king" also refers to the ability of a corporation or a business to have enough cash on hand to cover short-term operations, buy assets, such as equipment and machinery, or acquire other facilities. More businesses fail for lack of cash flow than for lack of profit.
The U.S. experienced significant deflation only once in modern history, when prices fell 27.1% in two and a half years during the Great Depression, according to the Consumer Price Index, one of the government's official measures of inflation. (To see a specific data point, tap or hover over that area of the chart.)
As the labor market tightened during 2021 and 2022, core inflation rose as the ratio of job vacancies to unemployment increased. This ratio is used to measure wage pressures that then pass through to the prices for goods and services.
- Energy prices need to decline in order to reduce inflation and avoid a recession, according to Altig. ...
- Supply disruptions must continue easing. ...
- Labor market conditions must loosen. ...
- Consumer demand must moderate (but not too much). ...
- Inflation cannot become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
During a recession, nothing is more valuable than cash that's readily available. I recommend saving for predictable expenses like car repairs or medical expenses. You'll also want to pay off and consolidate debt to bring your payments down.
- Pay off high-interest debt with extra cash. ...
- Put extra cash into your emergency fund. ...
- Increase your investment contributions with extra cash. ...
- Invest extra cash in yourself. ...
- Consider the timing when putting extra cash to work.
Inflation benefits those with fixed-rate, low-interest mortgages and some stock investors. Individuals and families on a fixed income, holding variable interest rate debt are hurt the most by inflation.
High net worth individuals — defined by Capgemini as those with $1 million or more in investable assets — held over 34% of their portfolios in cash as of January 2023. That's the highest level since at least 2002. It's also significantly higher than the 24% cash exposure these investors had last year.
Why is holding cash bad?
In times like these when inflation is rising, it's smart to make sure you have enough-- but not too much-- cash on your balance sheet. Holding too much cash over the long term can be very detrimental. Because it's universally true that inflation erodes the true value of cash over time.
Inflation allows borrowers to pay lenders back with money worth less than when it was originally borrowed, which benefits borrowers. When inflation causes higher prices, the demand for credit increases, raising interest rates, which benefits lenders.
Increase your income.
Increasing the amount of money you make each month is another way to cover the rising cost of goods and services. Consider asking your current employer for a raise. The worst thing they can say is no. Or maybe you have a hobby that could be turned into a profitable side hustle.
Account type | Interest earned after one year |
---|---|
Savings Account, 0.01% APY | $0.10 |
High-Yield Savings Account, 4.40% APY | $44 |
Which bank gives 7% interest on a savings account? There are not any banks offering 7% interest on a savings account right now. However, two financial institutions are paying at least 7% APY on checking accounts: Landmark Credit Union Premium Checking Account, and OnPath Rewards High-Yield Checking.