Inflation is a vital economic term for project planning, calculating returns on various investment possibilities, and, in general, the decisions made within a company. It is important to know that, just as it affects organizations, inflation has repercussions for everyone in our daily lives. However, we usually do not pay attention to this concept in our daily lives. It would be interesting to know the cause of this phenomenon, probably largely because it is not adequately disseminated in the media, or because neither parents nor schools place financial education as an important point to address in the formation of minors. There could be many reasons for seeing such basic concepts as distant; however, that analysis would warrant a completely different article.

Inflation is a concept related to the generalized increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. The term "generalized" carries significant weight because it is not enough for one product to increase in price to say that there is inflation, but rather a whole set of them. In other words, inflation can be seen as the loss of value of our money over time. To better illustrate, let's try to imagine everything we could buy at the supermarket with $1,000 pesos five years ago. Is it the same as what we can buy now? Surely the answer is no. This is the effect of inflation; over time, we can no longer buy the same things with the same money. As you can see, this issue affects us all, regardless of whether we are entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, merchants, housewives, or students.

This phenomenon occurs in most countries, it is entirely natural, and it is necessary for an economy to grow properly; the key is to control it. Now, at the microeconomic level, that is, for each person, it can become a significant problem, especially for the poorest, who receive very limited incomes that do not increase at the same rate as prices and are mostly those who do not have access to financial services. Another sector affected by this phenomenon is that of informal savers, who typically keep their money under the mattress, in a piggy bank, or at home. This is because, as explained earlier, if a person wants to save money for five years, at the end of that time, they will be able to buy much fewer things with the same amount.

The topic of inflation is quite broad; however, for the purpose of this article, which is simply to provide an introduction to this concept, I would like to emphasize the following points as a conclusion:

• Inflation is a completely natural phenomenon and is healthy for the development of our country's economy as long as it is controlled.

• As individuals immersed in this process, it is important to consider it when acquiring medium and long-term obligations, such as real estate, automotive, or educational loans, renting or building a home, etc.

• Saving is fundamental to maintaining healthy personal finances and achieving our individual goals. To prevent our money from losing its value, it is important to take advantage of the instruments offered by formal savings, seeking to place our resources in one that offers at least inflation as a return.

Financial education is a pillar that should be instilled from childhood. Unfortunately, in Mexican culture, it is not given much value. However, even if we have not received it adequately, we are not exempt from the consequences. We are solely responsible for the financial decisions we make. Therefore, it is important to be informed and understand the basic concepts that can affect our money and our lives so that we can act appropriately based on that information.