Almost everyone who earns a living might have some idea how they want to shape their future and where they want to be financial. While not all have goals fixed, saving and investing money can lead to a pleasant life ahead.
To learn about how to invest and how much money to invest, check out our articles on the Stock Market and Money Management. In this article, we are going to talk about Inflation and how to prepare against it.
What is inflation? Well in simple terms inflation means the gradual increase in the price of commodities over a period of time. Any commodity purchased in a given year might get expensive at intervals of time. A year or every few years, if it’s an expensive item. How can inflation affect the public? Every single person purchases commodities for their needs and wants. But the price at which consumers purchase can differ a lot. Rich consumers might purchase expensive items even for their needs let alone their wants. Middle-class people purchase items priced reasonably for the majority of the population and also might save to buy something they desire as well.
From the above information, it can be understood that inflation might not affect rich consumers as hard as it will affect the middle class.
The inflation rate has been rising and falling in India. In 2020 India’s inflation rate stood at its highest at 6.18% as prices increased when commodities were demanded more than the supply. Shops that lost revenue had to increase prices to stay afloat. People who lost their jobs suffered the most but those with savings did much better. The rate became stable ever since by slightly decreasing to 5.56% in 2021 and is stated to decrease more in 2022.
The power of inflation is felt in a timeframe of 10 years and more when the value of money changes to what it is in the present. For example, 1 lakh of 1990 is worth around 9.20 lakhs in today’s value according to inflation calculators. That is not a random number. The formula is complicated but to calculate today’s value, inflation is taken into account over the period of time.
To beat inflation is the best thing anyone can do to have a good financial future, and it’s not going to be hard for anyone who has an income and the discipline to save and invest. The amount may defer but the majority of people following the simple principle of 50-30-20 can prepare for inflation and beat it.
Inflation is a reality and is not to be taken lightly. Gone are the days when just purely having savings money was enough. Now it has become a norm to have emergency funds, investment portfolios, to have a stable future and a comfortable retirement.
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