Saving some money for old age or unforeseen expenses is currently particularly difficult for many. keyword inflation. It is all the more important that the sour savings can also work profitably and that the risk of losses is limited. The following rules should be heeded for this.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the savings rate in Germany was 11.1 percent in the first half of the year – which corresponds to an average monthly amount of 240 euros per inhabitant. It is roughly at the level of the pre-pandemic year 2019.

And with inflation continuing to rise sharply, things are unlikely to get any easier. It is all the more important that savings are invested in such a way that risks can be avoided and the highest possible returns can still be achieved. Although the European Central Bank has again reacted to the high inflation rates in the euro area and increased the so-called main refinancing rate by three-quarters of a percentage point to 2 percent, the current interest rates for overnight and fixed-term deposits are still very negative in real terms. So it is important to let the money work for you elsewhere in the long term. For example by investing in stocks.

“Successful accumulation of assets should include investing in shares. It pays off to keep a cool head even in times of crisis and to remain invested in the stock market or to re-enter it. The longer the investment period, the greater the chance of attractive returns,” says, for example Christine Bortenlänger, Executive Director of Deutsches Aktieninstitut (DAI). However, in Germany less than every tenth euro saved flows into shares or other securities.

According to the DAI, investors who have invested EUR 50 a month in the widely diversified MSCI World over the past 20 years have achieved an average annual return of 8.7 percent. With deposits of 12,000 euros, this means a final fortune of around 30,916 euros and a profit of 18,916 euros. It is clear that these values ??do not represent a forecast for the future. Depending on your personal risk appetite, stocks are part of long-term asset accumulation.

But apart from that, there are a few basic rules for saving that the banking association has summarized and that should definitely be heeded:

Daily money accounts in comparison

Fixed deposit accounts in comparison