I’m a Money Expert: 4 Reasons You Should Stock Up on $100 Bills Before the Winter

Joel Lim  Sat, November 9, 2024    GOBankingRates

Digital payments are expected to reach $11 trillion in 2024. That’s a lot of virtual money changing hands.

But what if something goes wrong? It happens all the time. Banks close, digital payment platforms fail, or you lose your debit card. While an increase in spending during the winter months is predictable, the unexpected events are, of course, unpredictable.

So, one thing is clear — there are many things could happen that prevent you from using your hard-earned money. So, is it a good idea to stock up on $100 bills now? Waiting could mean your money gets tied up, and you miss out on your planned purchase.

Why Hundreds?

The $100 bill is the most common currency in circulation in the United States, yet it is also the most hated. Most people generally withdraw $100 bills when they want to store cash, not spend it. It’s like a guaranteed savings account right there in your hands. (Or under your mattress.)

Sure, it might feel unsafe to have cash on hand when you could keep it in savings, but your savings aren’t always readily available to you. Cash is.

Why not twenties? $20 bills take up way more space than hundreds. And if you’re storing a couple thousand dollars for the winter, twenties will require much more space. It becomes a bulky, unmanageable problem to wade through twenties when you can just grab a crisp $100.

Plus, if you pull out hundreds “just in case” and don’t end up spending them, it’s easier to deposit them back into the bank.

You might catch the occasional eye-roll if you pull out a C-note. Or you may have to wait a bit longer for your cashier to run a counterfeit pen across the bill. But you’ll have peace of mind that you have all the cash you need to get through an unpredictable winter.

As Tim Peters, Chief Marketing Officer at Enghouse Systems, who works with dozens of financial institutions, notes, “Based on historical norms, we know people are cash hoarders with the advent of uncertainty and thus secure lending capabilities. An example is 2008 when the cash circulation rose by 20%.”

Winter is perhaps the most unpredictable time of year, and it gets more chaotic each year with the climate changing wildly, among other things. Here are just a few reasons to stock up on $100 bills before winter arrives.

1. The Banks Could Close

Where we once knew with some certainty what kind of weather we would see in specific regions, those days are gone. Now, snowstorms hit regions not always prepared, leaving millions in freezing temperatures.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/m-money-expert-4-reasons-140116476.html