How Would An Interest Rate Increase By The Federal Reserve Board Affect Average Consumers?

by Travis Pizel · 2 comments

federal reserve
The Federal Reserve Board announced last week that they would not be raising interest rates. All eyes seem to be on them when they meet to discuss the economy and what to do about interest rates, so it must be important. After all, the announcement sent stock soaring (though only briefly). But what interest rate is it that we’re really talking about here, and how would a rate hike affect the average consumer like you and I?

Interest Rate Types

There are actually three separate interest rates that affect the rates that you and I pay when we borrow money, and the Federal Reserve Board only affects the first two:

  • Federal Funds Rate: Also known as the overnight rate, is the rate at which banks borrow money deposited in the Federal Reserve to each other.
  • Federal Discount Rate: The rate at which banks can borrow directly from the Federal Reserve instead of from each other. This rate is typically higher than the Federal Funds Rate to encourage banks to borrow from each other before borrowing from the Federal Reserve.
  • The Prime Rate: Set by banks, and is the rate at which banks borrow money to their best customers. This rate may vary slightly from bank to bank, and is what most consumer loans are based upon. The Wall Street Journal publishes the WSJ Prime, which is meant to be representative of what banks have their Prime Rate set to on any given day.

Ripple Effect

When the Federal Reserve Board increases the Federal Funds Rate and the Discount rate, it becomes more expensive for banks to borrow money. They pass that expense on to consumers by raising their Prime Rate, which affect the interest rate on things people borrow money for every day.

Mortgage Rates

If you already have a fixed rate mortgage, there’s nothing to worry about here as your interest rate would be unaffected by a rate hike by the Federal Reserve Board. However, those aspiring to buy a home in the near future may see interest rates go up, making their payments higher and more difficult to afford.

Auto Rates

Interest rates on automobile loans have been low for quite some time. For example, I financed my last vehicle with a 1.99% interest rate. If the Federal Reserve Board raises rates, automobile interest rates will also climb.

Credit Card Rates

Credit card interest rates are variable and based on the Prime Rate. If rates go up, so will your credit card payments. The Federal Reserve changes interest rates infrequently, so one rate hike wouldn’t cause a spike in your monthly payments. But many rate increases over time could make credit card payments difficult to handle. Also, If rates start to increase, expect to see less of those 0% interest promotional offers.

Savings Account Rates

One of the few benefits to consumers of having the Federal Reserve Board raise interest rates is that it also causes savings account rates to go up. Current interest rates on savings accounts is a mere fraction of a percent. Money sitting in a savings account actually devalues every day because the interest earned is less than the rate of inflation.

The effects of the Federal Reserve Board’s actions are complex, and how it affects the average consumer are difficult to understand exactly. The next time the news reports that interest rates may be going up, thanks to the information in this article you’ll have the tools to understand what exactly that means for you and your finances.

Do you follow the actions of the Federal Reserve Board? How would a rate increase affect your personal finances?

Money Saving Tip: An incredibly effective way to save more is to reduce your monthly Internet and TV costs. Click here for the current AT&T DSL and U-VERSE promotion codes and promos and see if you can save more money every month from now on.

{ read the comments below or add one }

  • Money Beagle says:

    The entire thing about a rate increase is overblown. The media is not doing a good job in reporting this, instead just printing the headlines that Wall Street is feeding them, a Wall Street that is currently working on pushing a slowdown so that they can capture retail money and put it in their pockets. Read the articles and think about it. Stocks drop 1-2% per day on ‘fears’ associated with higher rates. The higher rates, at least initially, would likely be a 0.25% rate. What’s the cost to the average consumer here? Very little. A car loan at 5.5% versus 5.75% or even 6% after a rate is not going to be noticeable enough to make most consumers avoid the purchase. Yet the headlines make it seem that people will simply stop spending when that small rate increase happens.

    Ironically, the thing that would most deter that hypothetical purchase is that the consumer has lost so much money in the investment accounts that they delay the purchase. It begs the question of why the market is declining. Is it because of an economic slowdown or is it to cause one? I’ll answer with a question: CNBC (and other popular Wall Street reporting) attracts the retail investors as viewers, but does their reporting serve the interest of retail?

    • Travis @Enemyofdebt says:

      You’re right that one rate hike wouldn’t make much difference…but it’s a “death by thousand cuts” sort of thing. If you have an ARM, a home equity line of credit and credit card debt, each rate hike will increase your monthly payment (well, the ARM would only readjust once a year)….eventually it may get high enough where you can’t make your payments anymore…

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment