Expert Answers to Readers’ Questions About Inflation

The New York Times asked readers to send questions about inflation. Economists at the Federal Reserve, the White House and Wall Street weighed in.

Inflation is high and has been for months. It's weighing on consumer confidence, making policymakers nervous and threatening to eat away at household paychecks well into 2022.

This is the first time many adults have experienced meaningful inflation: Price gains had been largely quiescent since the late 1980s. When the Consumer Price Index climbed 7 percent in the year through December, it was the fastest pace since 1982.

Naturally, people have questions about what this will mean for their pocketbooks, their finances and their economic futures.