Understand the real value of your savings, compare rates with inflation and visualize your real purchasing power with simple tools.
Managing savings is not just about putting money aside. You also need to understand what that money is really worth over time, compare rates with inflation and avoid confusing your bank balance with purchasing power. This solution brings together tools, guides and answers to visualize the real value of your savings, understand the impact of inflation, compare Livret A and LEP, and know what net rate is needed to truly preserve purchasing power.
Compare your bank balance with its real value after inflation: starting capital, monthly contributions, savings rate, taxation and duration.
A clear guide to distinguish displayed balance, real value, net return and loss of purchasing power using 2026 data.
To calculate the loss of purchasing power of your savings, compare your net return with inflation. If your savings earn less than prices rise, your balance may increase while its real value falls. In 2026, with a 1.5% Livret A rate and 2.8% inflation, €10,000 becomes €10,150 on screen, but is worth about €9,874 in real purchasing power.
To beat inflation, your investment must earn more than prices rise, after tax. If inflation is 2.8%, you need a rate above 2.8% net to gain purchasing power. In 2026, a 1.5% Livret A does not beat 2.8% inflation: its real return is about -1.26%.
Not always. A Livret A protects your balance in euros: your nominal capital does not fall, the money stays available and the interest is tax-free. But it protects your **purchasing power** only if its net rate is higher than inflation. If the Livret A pays 1.5% while prices rise by 2.8%, your bank balance increases but your real value falls by about 1.26%.
In 2026, the LEP protects better against inflation than the Livret A because its rate is higher: 2.5% versus 1.5%. But with inflation at 2.8%, neither fully offsets price increases in this example. The LEP limits the real loss more, provided you are eligible.
