Foster City, CA (PRWEB) May 18, 2011

The hidden cost of the Federal Reserve?s low interest rate policies is over $ 170 billion in purchasing power over the last year, according to an analysis by MoneyRates.com. Sustained low rates were designed to encourage lending and stimulate the economy. However, they may have fallen short on delivering the kind of recovery the Fed intended, with many Americans drowning in debt and struggling to start or grow their savings amid accelerating inflation.