- Money refers to assets that are regularly used to purchase goods and services, and serves three main functions: as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value.
- There are two main kinds of money: commodity money, which has intrinsic value, and fiat money, which derives its value by government decree.
- In the US, money includes currency in circulation as well as demand deposits that can be accessed through checks or ATM withdrawals. The Federal Reserve oversees and regulates the US monetary system and money supply through tools like open market operations and setting reserve requirements.