Question

How does inflation relate to the rule of 72? How does saving money in an account with compound interest help protect you from inflation?

Answer 1

The rule of 72 is a formula used to measure the approximate time it will take for an investment to double. The word "approximate" should be highlighted, as it is not a 100% exact formula.

The formula used is to divide 72 between the interest rate paid by the investment. The result is the number of years in which the capital invested will double.

It is important to mention that at the interest rate or return on your investment you must subtract the inflation. For example, if the annual rate of return is 15%, and inflation is 5% per year, your net rate is 10%.

For example, if you have an investment of $ 10,000 in a mutual fund, which pays you 10% per year. If you calculate 72/10, you will see that your investment will double in 7.2 years.

Now, if there is an annual inflation of 2%, the calculation should be 72 / (10-2), with which the investment will double in 9 years.

Answer 2

The Rule of 72 is also used to determine how long it takes for money to halve in value for a given rate of inflation. For example, if the rate of inflation is 4%, a command "years = 72/inflation" where the variable inflation is defined as "inflation = 4" gives 18 years.

Money in savings accounts will earn compound interest, where the interest is calculated based on the principal and all accumulated interest.

Step-by-step explanation: