A spreadsheet program can be utilized to create personalized tools for calculating the impact of inflation on investments, expenses, or income over time. A typical approach involves using functions like future value (FV) and present value (PV), incorporating the inflation rate as a variable. For instance, one could model the future cost of a recurring expense, like rent, by projecting its growth based on an assumed annual inflation rate.
Developing such personalized tools offers significant advantages. Users gain a clearer understanding of the real value of their money over time, enabling more informed financial decisions. This can be particularly valuable in long-term planning, such as retirement planning or large investment decisions. Historically, controlling for inflation has been a critical aspect of sound financial management, and bespoke spreadsheet models provide a practical means to achieve this.