Introducing the Inflation Calculator — See Money Shrink

Inflation is a quiet tax — slow enough to ignore day to day, large enough to reshape a retirement plan over decades. The new Inflation Calculator makes that long-run effect concrete in seconds.

What it does

• Future cost — what an amount of goods will cost after years of inflation.
• Purchasing power — what today’s money will actually be worth later.
• Cumulative inflation and the percentage of value lost.
• A year-by-year chart drawn inline, no library, fully in-browser.
• An adjustable rate slider so you can test scenarios instantly.

Why it matters

Inflation compounds: each year’s rise builds on an already-higher base, which is why small rates produce dramatic long-run effects. Separating nominal value from real value — what a number says versus what it can buy — is the foundation of judging raises, investments, and savings goals. Pair it with the Compound Interest Calculator to see growth and erosion side by side.

Learn more

Want the full picture of how inflation works and how to plan around it? Read our guide to inflation, then run your own numbers in the Inflation Calculator. It’s free, instant, and nothing you enter ever leaves your browser.