While [[banks]] can charge fees for services, mostly people depositing [[money]] in a bank will seem to see the amount of that money slightly increase over a long time due to [[interest rate]]s that the bank will pay. However, for several years now the [[inflation rate]] (see also [[Consumer Price Index]]) is greater than the interest money paid by the banks, thus one actually loses [[purchasing power|money]] compared to investing in [[tangibles]] or [[inflation hedge]]s. For example, a [[good]] or service costing $1000 in 2004, the same item would cost $1,242.89<ref>http://www.usinflationcalculator.com The [[US Inflation Calculator]] measures how the [[buying power]] or [[purchasing power]] of the [[US dollar]] has changed over the years by using the latest [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] ([[BLS]]) [[inflation]] information provided in the [[Consumer Price Index]] ([[CPI]]). http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/#HowInflationCalculatorWorks Accessed April 6, 2014</ref> ten years later in 2014 due to the cumulative rate of inflation of 24.3% over those ten years. | While [[banks]] can charge fees for services, mostly people depositing [[money]] in a bank will seem to see the amount of that money slightly increase over a long time due to [[interest rate]]s that the bank will pay. However, for several years now the [[inflation rate]] (see also [[Consumer Price Index]]) is greater than the interest money paid by the banks, thus one actually loses [[purchasing power|money]] compared to investing in [[tangibles]] or [[inflation hedge]]s. For example, a [[good]] or service costing $1000 in 2004, the same item would cost $1,242.89<ref>http://www.usinflationcalculator.com The [[US Inflation Calculator]] measures how the [[buying power]] or [[purchasing power]] of the [[US dollar]] has changed over the years by using the latest [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] ([[BLS]]) [[inflation]] information provided in the [[Consumer Price Index]] ([[CPI]]). http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/#HowInflationCalculatorWorks Accessed April 6, 2014</ref> ten years later in 2014 due to the cumulative rate of inflation of 24.3% over those ten years. |