Inflation is the gradual decline in purchasing power over time. When inflation rises, each dollar buys less than it did before. Prices increase because the value of money decreases.
This page explains how inflation works, what causes it, who it affects most, and why people look for alternatives to protect their purchasing power.
Inflation is not mysterious. It happens when the U.S. government, through the Federal Reserve, creates new money faster than the economy grows.
The Federal Reserve increases the money supply to fund government spending, support financial markets, or manage economic slowdowns.
The number of products, services, and homes does not increase at the same pace. More dollars compete for the same things.
As dollars lose purchasing power, prices increase. The value of savings declines, even when account balances stay the same.
Inflation does not hit everyone equally. It quietly transfers purchasing power away from people who save and earn in dollars toward those closest to new money creation.
Cash held in savings accounts loses purchasing power over time. Even when balances stay the same, what that money can buy steadily declines.
When prices rise faster than wages, people effectively work for less each year. The cost of living increases even when income does not.
Retirees and others on fixed income feel inflation immediately. Rising costs reduce purchasing power without any offsetting increase in earnings.
Input costs rise faster than prices can adjust. Margins shrink, planning becomes harder, and uncertainty increases.
New money enters the system through governments, banks, and large institutions first. By the time it reaches everyday households, prices have already adjusted upward.
Inflation does not make prices rise. It makes each dollar buy less over time. The change is gradual, but the impact compounds.
When currency steadily loses purchasing power, doing nothing is a decision. Over time, people move out of cash and into assets designed to hold value.
Cash provides short-term liquidity, not long-term protection. As supply expands, each dollar quietly buys less year after year.
Erodes over timePrecious metals have preserved value for centuries. Scarcity and physical limits help them resist long-term currency debasement.
Historically stableReal estate and businesses can grow with inflation, though access, maintenance, and liquidity vary widely.
Depends on executionBitcoin has a fixed supply and cannot be printed. Many people use it as a modern, digital way to preserve value outside traditional monetary systems.
Fixed supplyInflation quietly reduces the value of cash over time. Bitcoin offers a different path — a fixed-supply asset designed to resist monetary expansion. Many people use Bitcoin to preserve purchasing power and protect the value of their earnings.
