Softly laid: Russians were told about the methods of forming a "financial cushion"

The current situation in Russia is favorable for creating savings due to the high key interest rate. Working Russians can accumulate 1 million rubles in just 1.5-2 years if they approach the matter systematically and save 20-30% of their monthly income, experts say. Izvestia found out the details.

Deposit boom

The high key rate allows banks to keep deposit yields above 10%. Thus, deposits continue to be a popular and reliable tool for saving and increasing capital, the experts surveyed agree. They predict a high stable yield on deposits at least during the first half of 2026. How long this trend will last will depend on the policy of the Bank of Russia, said Alexander Schneiderman, Head of Sales and Customer Support at Alfa-Forex.

"The Central Bank's decision on the key rate in February will be influenced primarily by inflation data in Russia for December and January," he suggested.

In addition to the internal factor, the external one will also have an impact — geopolitics, the expert noted.

— According to our forecasts, the dollar is likely to continue to consolidate in the range of 76-81 rubles, and the euro — at 90-95 rubles, — he says.

According to Schneiderman, these values create prerequisites for further gradual easing of monetary policy by the regulator, which will weaken the exchange rate of the national currency to increase budget revenues from exports. Accordingly, deposit rates will decrease.

In 2026, the key interest rate will decrease faster than many economists expected at the end of 2025, Alexander Abramov, head of the Laboratory for Analysis of Institutions and financial markets at the Presidential Academy, is confident.

— The problem of economic growth is becoming a priority of economic policy. If the current trend towards slowing inflation continues, the key rate may fall below 10% by the end of 2026, he predicts.

Maxim Tarverdiev, a teacher at the Finam training center, is more skeptical about deposits in rubles.

"Ruble deposits very rarely exceed the inflation rate, so they are only suitable for saving ruble savings, but they do not protect against devaluation," he says.

In his opinion, it is more effective to consider foreign exchange instruments in order to save money.

Adapting to goals

The year 2026 will be a continuation of the era of instability, so when choosing an investment strategy, you need to understand what goals and objectives a particular citizen faces, says Maxim Tarverdiev.

— If you need to save and increase your savings in the long term, it is more reasonable to choose two of the most reliable instruments: the American dollar and gold. Since time immemorial, gold has been the standard of stability, therefore, in the current conditions, it will also become a universal means of preservation and payment. The US dollar, on the contrary, should make an enchanting rise before a failure, because the vast majority of assets in the world are traded for the dollar, including derivatives.

In the expert's opinion, a sharp revaluation of the value of assets will lead to total sales and a sharp demand for the dollar, which, in turn, will be limited.

Other tools

As monetary policy eases, other instruments, in particular, federal loan bonds, will become attractive again, according to the experts surveyed.

— This is a tool from a reliable borrower, the state, which is accessible and understandable compared to some other exchange—traded instruments. You can start investing even with a small amount of capital. OFZs can be bought and sold at any time — their liquidity is stable and high, says Alexander Schneiderman.

In his opinion, reducing the key rate will allow private investors from banks to return to the over-the-counter foreign exchange market, and interest in OFZs will grow in the first half of 2026.

In addition to OFZs, citizens will show significant interest in reliable corporate bonds with fixed yields, which allow them to fix the yield to maturity for several years, Abramov believes.

— The current yield to maturity on such instruments remains high — at the level of 14-15%, which makes them a real alternative to bank deposits for those who are concerned about the safety of their savings, — he says.

In addition to the main tools, the expert considers investments in gold through exchange-traded funds to be promising. According to Abramov, gold prices are likely to rise in 2026, as the global economy remains turbulent and there are no signs of stabilization yet.

Maxim Tarverdiev, on the contrary, considers shares of Russian companies to be dangerous assets.

— This is the most popular tool for more advanced investments among our fellow citizens, however, in the same year 2025, the shares demonstrate near-zero dynamics. Over a longer period of time, stocks look much more promising, but you need to understand that they are denominated in rubles, and the ruble is a regional currency. Therefore, it is worth considering the dynamics of Russian stocks in dollars, and the RTS dollar index is near the lowest levels of 2008 and has not yielded any returns at all," the expert explains his position.

The respondent calls cryptocurrencies and shares of foreign companies no less risky assets.

— The top markets are seriously overbought, and all the growth in previous years was initiated by borrowed funds. If the loan is completed, stocks and cryptocurrencies will become very dangerous," he says.

How not to lose money

In 2026, citizens will face the problem of reducing interest income, which they are accustomed to in 2025. This feeling can provoke Russians to rash actions, Alexander Abramov comments.

— Many people will probably seek to find investments that still bring high returns, without always paying due attention to the risks. This is the main danger facing private investors. We recommend looking for profitability primarily among traditional financial instruments, avoiding risky and low—transparency alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies, tokens and the like," he warns.

For investors who are more risk-averse, the expert suggests considering moderate investments in a diversified portfolio of stocks, the attractiveness of which will grow with a decrease in the key interest rate.

"This is despite the weak current financial results of many companies, as a significant part of the securities remains undervalued," he continues. — I believe that the Russian stock market has a certain growth potential in 2026.

At the same time, according to Abramov, market participants can insure their currency risks in case of a weakening of the ruble, not through direct purchase of foreign currency, but through instruments such as foreign currency bonds, for example, yuan bonds of the Ministry of Finance or securities of reliable corporate issuers denominated in foreign currency.

In any case, when choosing tools for forming a financial cushion, Alexander Schneiderman recommends considering only those that are located in Russian jurisdiction and resorting to the services of only licensed investment companies.