Update your 'money values' to protect your future self. Even Disneyland prices are 2.4 times higher now!

Until a few years ago, I was wandering through life while struggling with money worries, but encountering investing completely transformed my life.

I implemented a 'three-pronged asset formation' strategy using index funds, high-dividend stocks, and iDeCo, which helped me improve my household finances over the past few years and create a system to save 1 million yen annually.

As someone who has done that,

I recently went to buy a canned coffee from a vending machine for the first time in a while, and I couldn't help but do a double-take.

To my surprise, a plastic bottle of coffee was 180 yen each.
Even a small can of coffee was 130 yen each.

The 'usual coffee' that I could once buy with a single 100-yen coin is now out of reach.

This might sound like an old man's rambling that won't resonate with young people in their 20s (laughs).

When we were students, prices were certainly lower.

The reality is that for everything we buy, the price of goods is quietly but surely rising.

Even though the money in our wallets disappears faster, our salaries hardly change.

Yes, before we knew it, Japan had become a full-fledged 'inflationary country'.

This is a sign that we need to fundamentally change our 'common sense about money'.

🛑 Why has 'saving = safe' become a dangerous way of thinking?

In the Showa era, the idea that 'it's safe to keep money in the bank' was an unshakable common sense. My parents taught me to save money! That money is something to be saved.

Back then, the interest rate on fixed deposits was 5-6% per year.
Apparently, just by depositing 1 million yen for a year, it would increase by 50,000 to 60,000 yen.

Since you could get investment-like returns with zero risk, saving was the ultimatesafe way to go.

People don't even look at "investing" because it's considered risky, right?

However, what about now?

💰 Bank Deposits vs. Inflation

• Current interest rate: 0.001%. Even if you deposit 1 million yen, the interest is only 10 yen.

• Current cost: If you withdraw from an ATM, 100 to 200 yen disappears in fees.

• Current reality: Prices are rising. Tax burdens are increasing.

The value of 1 million yen no longer has the power to buy the same goods and services as it did in the past.

Far from growing with interest, the value of money left sleeping in a bank is quietly continuing to decrease due to rising prices and tax burdens.

This is no longer "safe"; it is a state of "losing money" without even realizing it.

Those who believe that "keeping money in the bank is safe" based on old values are unknowingly sliding down the slope toward poverty.

Now is the era of "making your money work for you."

The wave of inflation is like a slow uphill slope. If you don't step on the accelerator (investing), you will move backward. However, if you shift gears with knowledge and action, you can actually power your way up this slope.

⚙️ [3 Gear Changes] How to escape the "slope of poverty"

Here, I will introduce my own "3-step update for money values."

1. From "protecting" (savings) to "growing" (investing)

Now that inflation is steadily eroding the value of cash, the idea of "protecting" your money is effectively the same as "silently watching it decrease."

✅ Action:

Shift gears toward the mindset of "growing your money" by utilizing NISA and index investing.

• I am steadily building up my savings every month using the NISA accumulation quota.

• Creating a situation where your money works for you is the true "safe driving" of our current era.

2. From "Income = Labor" to "Income = Diversification"

Relying solely on income from one company is now like driving a car on one wheel. If that tire goes flat, you will be unable to drive immediately.

✅ Action:

It is important to have multiple tires, even if they are small, such as side hustles, dividends, blog revenue, or point-based investing.

• Especially in an era where it is difficult for company employee wages to rise, a side hustle is a powerful "spare tire" and also serves as a hedge against inflation.

3. From "Company Dependence" to "Self-Reliance"

In the past, during the era of lifetime employment, the foundation was that "the company will protect you."

However, we are now in an era where you must "protect yourself."

✅ Action:

Take the "steering wheel of your money" into your own hands.

• If there is a company with a better salary or better conditions, selling yourself to change jobs is also a perfectly valid 'self-directed' action.

• Review your cash flow with a household budget and grow your assets yourself.

• Invest in yourself to increase your market value.

These three gear changes are the first step toward protecting your future.

✅ Summary: The era of 100 yen is not coming back. That is why now is the time to act!

Unfortunately, the era when you could buy coffee or a hamburger with a 100-yen coin when you were a child will never return.

However, there is no need to be pessimistic.

It is not just prices that change. That is because
we can also change our way of thinking and our actions.

Even if the times hit an uphill climb, if you shift gears with knowledge and action, you can move forward properly.

A 'driver's license for money' is not something you get once and are done with.

Times, environments, and ways of thinking are constantly changing. You cannot drive on Reiwa roads with Showa traffic rules.

If the value of money changes, we must also flexibly change our values to adapt.

That leads to safe driving that protects your family and your own future.

Instead of reminiscing about the days when you could buy coffee for 100 yen, why not start by buying a high-quality investment trust with that 100 yen?

The future changes with your actions today.

Now, the time to press down hard on the accelerator is 'now'!

🎁 To you, taking the next step

If you are wondering where to start, first try looking into the new NISA.

👇For those who want to know about the investment situation with NISA👇

I hope this article serves as a catalyst for changing how you think about your future money.