How To Protect Your Assets Against 2026 Inflation Shifts

While we may not be able to ward off the impacts of inflation completely, we have more agency than we might think. We can set ourselves up for success to protect our assets against inflation in 2026.

According to the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee, the current Consumer Price Index Inflation rate is 2.68%. What does this mean for professional women who care about building and maintaining financial stability? Her Agenda spoke to several financial services experts to find out.

“While inflation is relatively low right now, this follows several years where inflation was high,” said Stacy Miller, CFP® and Founder and CEO of BayView Financial Planning. “So, regardless of current rates, everything feels so darn expensive.” According to Stacy, the number one thing women can do to protect themselves is understand compound interest.

“‘Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. [S]he who understands it, earns it. [S]he who doesn’t, pays it.’ This is a wonderful quote attributed to Albert Einstein,” said Stacy. “The summary is that understanding compound interest will have you looking for ways to earn it, like a High Yield Savings Account (HYSA), for example. If you don’t understand how it works, you could get caught up in the cycle of trying to pay off debt that continues to grow and grow.”

Opening a HYSA can be the first (and simplest) step women can take to protect against inflation and grow their assets, especially as they work towards shorter-term savings goals.

Here are four other tips recommended by our experts for the short and long-term alike.

When we invest, we help protect against inflation. However, certain investment choices help further this goal better than others. Experts recommend having a diversified investment portfolio. According to Fidelity, these types of portfolios have historically tended to grow even when inflation has been high.

“A diversified investment strategy can often help you earn a return on investment that beats inflation,” said Stacy. “There are ways to design a portfolio that hedge, or specifically address inflation using investment assets that move differently than the things in our economy that have the most inflation.”

Adrianna Adams, CFP® and Head of Financial Planning at Domain Money, also recommends the diversified approach.

“For long-term assets, investing in a diversified portfolio can not only help you keep up with inflation, but it could help your assets outpace inflation, actually,” Adriana said. “However, it is worth noting that investing is risky, and this isn’t guaranteed protection or insurance against inflation. The key is having a well-diversified portfolio that aligns with your risk tolerance and time horizon.”

At the most basic level, inflation is what makes it so that, over time, a dollar will not go as far as it does today. Adrianna reminds us that one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves from inflation is to ensure that our compensation keeps up with it.

“If your salary and income don’t increase each year, you’re most likely losing purchasing power,” she said. “Prices will rise over time, and you need to plan accordingly.”

While it might feel like this is out of our control, she reminds us that we can be our own best advocate when it comes to getting the compensation we want.

“You need to recognize that your work and the value you provide should become more expensive over time. If you’re not negotiating raises or adjusting your rates, you’re effectively taking a pay cut every year inflation ticks up,” said Adrianna. “Negotiating your salary and compensation is critical if you’re working. If you don’t get a raise each year, you’re essentially taking a pay cut.”

Of course, negotiations don’t always go in our favor. If that’s the case, Stacy recommends adding an extra stream of income where we can.

When we think about getting the most from the money that we do have, our minds typically go to budgeting. While budgeting is always a good idea, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“Keep an eye on where your money is going,” said Adrianna. “Everyone needs to know where their money is going so you can get the most value out of every dollar you spend.” For Adrianna, this isn’t about cutting spending. Instead, “It’s about aligning it with your goals and values so inflation doesn’t quietly erode what matters most to you.”

Part of this thinking extends to our approach to taxes. Adrianna emphasizes how important it is to have a strategic tax plan if you want to keep protecting your assets.

“An effective strategy for minimizing your lifetime taxes can help each dollar go further,” she said. In practice, she says this can look like maximizing contributions to tax-advantaged accounts, strategically timing income and deductions, and planning for future tax law changes.

Lastly, staying informed and increasing our financial education is something we can practice every day, so we can keep positioning ourselves to protect our assets against inflation to the best of our ability.

This could be as simple as tuning into a podcast (Adrianna recommends The Morning Brew Daily) and reading a book, or it could mean reaching out to a professional who can work with you one-on-one to address your needs and goals.

“Focus on finding a fiduciary, fee-only Certified Financial Planner Professional (CFP Professional),” said Adrianna. “A fiduciary is legally required to act in your best interest, and fee-only means they’re not earning commissions on products they recommend, so you know the advice is conflict-free.”