What Interest Rates, Markets And The 2026 Economic Outlook Mean For Your Money

Years of soaring inflation, aggressive interest-rate hikes and volatile markets could give way to a smoother financial ride in 2026 depending on several still unpredictable factors.

As the economy cools and interest rates level off, here's what Forbes' expert contributors predict for your money in the year ahead.

A boring year may be good news for long‑term investors, even if stability lacks the excitement of the meme-stock frenzy that Forbes senior contributor Jim Osman says was built on "just vibes," or the once-beguiling era of zero‑rate mortgages.

Households should prepare for more normal interest rates, selective stock-market gains and realistic-at-best expectations for 2026. The upside is that disciplined savers and diversified investors may now be rewarded, Forbes contributors say.

Forbes senior contributor Simon Moore writes that central banks are widely expected to keep nudging rates down, though most forecasts suggest they won’t return to the ultra-lows of the 2010s barring a major economic shock. For savers, that likely means:

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