03/11/2026
Your savings balance might be growing…
But is your money keeping up with inflation?
We often think of saving money as making progress, and it absolutely can be.
But there’s another side to consider: what your money will actually buy in the future.
Inflation means that, over time, the cost of goods and services tends to rise. So even if the amount in your savings account stays the same, its purchasing power can fall.
For example, imagine you have £10,000 in savings. If prices rise by 3% over a year, you would need around £10,300 the following year to buy the same things.
That doesn't mean cash savings are a bad thing. They're important for emergencies, short-term plans and money you need easy access to.
It simply means different types of savings have different purposes.
For money you won't need for several years, it may be worth considering how it fits into your wider financial plans and whether cash alone is appropriate.
The important thing is to think about what your money needs to do, not just how much is sitting in the account.