Inflación ¿Qué hacer para combatirla y no morir en el intento?

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Inflation: What to do to combat and not die trying?

Published by Alonso Rodríguez Segarra at 29 de July de 2022

In the United States it is important to know the main measures you must follow to combat inflation, at this time when we are living the highest in the last 40 years.

Focus on what you can control and don’t just worry about factors you can’t control, such as the global economy or the Federal Reserve’s macroeconomic policies.

There are many people in the United States who are 40 or younger and do not know what an inflationary process is. Therefore, they do not have the necessary tools to face it.

On the other hand, those who come to the United States from Latin America, we believe it is a relatively simple process. For example: If you ask a Venezuelan, what does it feel like to live under inflation?

He will probably tell you that what he doesn’t know is like living without her. Of course, after having lived until hyperinflation processes.

Now, what is totally different, for all Latinos is that the dollar has always been the safe haven currency of the heritage of Hispanics and we were not used to it also suffering this loss of value, so these suggestions are also of great interest.

Below we will see the 5 steps you should follow to fight inflation and not die in the attempt:

1.- The illusion of your bank account balance

When you see prices starting to rise and you feel that your money is not enough when you go to the supermarket, when you fill out gasoline and when you must pay rent.

It automatically feels in trouble and begins to stress so it is a time where the brain does not work in the best way to make rational decisions.

Consequently, you see your bank account balance and are alarmed that you are spending more, and you don’t realize that the amount you see in the bank is smaller.

Many have the illusion that their money is fine in the bank because the balance is not adjusted online to show us how it is losing its purchasing power due to inflation.

So, be very careful and remember that, while not having money is a big problem, in times of high inflation having a lot of money in a bank account also represents a problem, which, although it is pleasant, but therefore it is still a problem.

For example, if the inflation rate is 9% and you had $100,000 that amount transformed in a year into about $91,000.

In terms of its purchasing power or seen in another way you will need about $ 109,000 to buy the same as you bought a year ago with a hundred thousand.

2.- It is not only about inflation but also about a possible recession

Which means that if you thought inflation was complicated if we add a recession to that, it becomes doubly complicated.

So, continuing with the previous suggestion, it is about finding a balance, not leaving much money in your bank account, but enough to have an emergency fund that manages to cover at least the equivalent of 6 months of your monthly expense:

Since you could be in trouble, in case tomorrow you get fired and you do not get a job where you earn the same or more than in the previous one and much less quickly.

So, our suggestion is that, even though the money in the bank account is eaten up by inflation, you should always have an emergency fund that will serve as insurance for unexpected situations.

Now, if in your bank account you have an amount well above the emergency fund if you should find a way to optimize it so that it does not stay there at the mercy of inflation.

3.- If you know it’s going to go up inflation, better buy it before

As a good financial advisor, I can’t help but tell you that you must keep a strict control of your expenses.

This to know monthly where your money goes and what games you can optimize, but instead of telling you what all the advisors tell you: use more coupons, look for offers, do not go to expensive supermarkets, and cook more at home so as not to go out to eat out, saving with it on gasoline and more with the prices of restaurants.

We feel it is very important that you sit down and think and make a list of all those big purchases you should make.

For example, if the air in your home requires maintenance and you traditionally do it every six months, buy those parts or pieces that you know you will require.

A good question to ask yourself is: do you think that the gifts you are going to give in December are going to be cheaper or more expensive than now? then better go your list from now.

4.- Now more than ever stay away from the credit card

We have always said that financing with the credit card is a danger, but particularly in these moments where interest rates are continuously rising.

The best way to see this banking instrument is as a quicksand to the extent that you enter them and the more you use them you will sink much more.

Falling into the trap of thinking that you will be able to continue maintaining your current standard of living, by being every month using the credit card to cover that part of income that you have not been generating will only bring you more problems in the short term and there if you are going to have to substantially lower your standard of living.

5.- But even the stock markets have fallen

This is where our brains always play the trick on us and as we have seen: we always tend to see life with very short-term information.

For example, we start to see what the news says this week and we feel that if things go wrong, they will continue to be bad over time and the markets will fall forever.

This is a mistake that explains the theory of behavioral finance extensively: Called “Recent Bias” and it is to think that because the stock market has fallen at this time it will continue to do so forever, but history shows us that normally this is not the case.

When we talk about history, although we cannot predict based on what has already happened what will happen in the future, it does serve as a reference.

And every time an inflationary process occurs, stocks fall in the short term, but they show us that they are also one of the few investments that have consecutively beaten inflation over time.

So, our way of thinking should be like the one that traders have, where their vision would surely be as follows:

When the merchandise is good and not perishable the merchant would normally be happy to see that it has become cheaper because it gives him the opportunity to buy more and if he continues to go down, he tries to buy even more.

So, if we changed our vision a little and thought about the medium or long term, we would feel calmer.

In the world of investments, we all know that the formula to make money is very simple:

“Buy cheap to sell high.” But the vast majority do the exact opposite when the markets go up, they want to buy so as not to be left out and when they go down they want to sell because they are afraid.

And others are left waiting for the perfect moment with the money in the bank account not seeing that each time it will be worth less.

Conclusion:

See your personal finances as if you were the treasurer of a large company, remember that they do not leave much cash in the bank idly.

They plan their purchases with time, when they see that expenses go up they cut it and look for new sources of income.

Just as they do not think only about the short term, but they have a long-term strategic vision, knowing where they want to go not letting the noise of the short term take them off course.

Note: Always consult your trusted financial advisor before planning.

Material for educational purposes does not represent financial advice or investment suggestion.

Alonso Rodríguez Segarra

Founder & CEO Advise Financial

advise-financial.com

Alonso is a “CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™” who is dedicated to increasing the Financial Well-being of nurses, physicians and successful immigrants in Florida and Texas. With more than 20 years of experience in the world of finance, always working for the best interest of his clients, under fiduciary criteria.

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Alonso Rodríguez Segarra

Founder & CEO Advise Financial advise-financial.com Alonso is a “CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™” who is dedicated to increasing the Financial Well-being of nurses, physicians and successful immigrants in Florida and Texas. With more than 20 years of experience in the world of finance, always working for the best interest of his clients, under fiduciary criteria.