Understand how interest rates affect savings accounts, annuities, pensions, and bond funds.

How Do Rising Interest Rates Affect Bond Funds?

Rising interest rates bond funds experience a decline in net asset value (NAV) because higher rates push bond prices down, and the effect is more pronounced for funds holding longer-duration...

How Do Interest Rates Affect Pension Payouts?

Interest rates affect pension payouts by moving the numbers in two opposite directions at once: when rates rise, a defined-benefit lump sum falls, but the monthly annuity income that same...

How Do Interest Rates Affect Annuities?

Higher interest rates allow insurers to offer higher crediting rates and payouts on new fixed and fixed-indexed annuities, while lower rates reduce them. This direct link between the rate environment...

How Does Inflation Affect Savings?

Inflation reduces what your savings can buy over time, so cash needs to earn enough interest to keep pace or it loses purchasing power. Understanding how does inflation affect savings...