How fast inflation
actually eats your savings.
Enter your savings, the inflation rate, and your APYAnnual Percentage Yield (APY)The real return on savings after the bank pays interest on top of interest. A 5% APY savings account turns $1,000 into $1,050 after one year.Full definition. See exactly how many years until you lose 10%, 20%, or 50% of your purchasing powerpurchasing powerWhat a dollar can actually buy, not what the dollar number says. A 1971 dollar bought a gallon of gas. Today's dollar buys roughly a third of one. Same dollar, much less buying ability.Full definition. The tool that makes inflation visceral instead of abstract.
| Account | APY | Real return | Years to lose target |
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Moving savings from a big bank to an HYSA or money market fund is typically the single highest-ROI 15-minute decision in personal finance. See Where to Bank.
What this tool assumes
- Real return = nominal return - inflation rate.
- The inflation default is the latest CPIConsumer Price Index (CPI)The government's measure of how much a typical basket of consumer goods costs over time.Full definition year-over-year print (4.17% for the 12 months through May 2026, BLS CPIAUCSL via FRED), stamped at every build. This tool asks how fast inflation is eroding your savings right now, so the default tracks the current print rather than a long-run average. Edit it to test other rates.
- Cash and HYSA rates approximate mid-2026 yields; actual rates vary.
- Bitcoin return is a historical CAGRCompound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)The average yearly growth rate of an investment, assuming profits are reinvested each year. marker, not a prediction.
Not financial advice. Your numbers stay in your browser.
HOW THIS IS CALCULATED
This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. All formulas use standard financial math. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.