The Federal Reserve

      Although it is easier to point out all of the things wrong with the Federal Reserve, the importance of this central banking system outweighs its faults and it is still an asset to this country.  An asset, in this context, is defined as a useful or valuable thing or quality.  The Federal Reserve is a useful system to have in our country for numerous reasons.  It "conducts the nation's monetary policy" (federal reserve.gov), supervises and regulates banks, and maintains the stability of the financial system.  The Federal Reserve is a vital structure in the United States.
      The monetary policy is what the Federal Reserve uses to makes decisions.  According to CNBC, the monetary policy is the "regulation of interest rates and the availability of money in order to provide economic growth and prevent downturns" (CNBC.com).  The Federal Reserve can supply more credit to banks for lending if the economy needs to grow faster and create more jobs.  It can also lower banks' reserves and can "lend more to businesses and consumers as well as to other banks" (CNBC.com).  Doing this increases the money supply in the economy.  The Federal Reserve is also needed to spot excessive growth in order to prevent inflation and fix it by increasing interest rates.  To maintain the stability of the financial system, the Federal Reserve decides whether to increase or decrease the money supply.  An example of this would be "when the Fed buys securities in the market, like U.S. government Treasury bonds, which increases the amount of money in circulation" (investopedia.com).  It is the Federal Reserve's job to manage the financial systems of the nation.  All consumers are impacted by the state of the financial system in our country and when issues come up the "Fed’s job of ensuring that all is working within a controlled balance becomes paramount to maintaining a well-run, efficient economy" (investopedia.com).  The Federal Reserve is a necessary asset of the the United States, which maintains the order of imperative financial situations.

http://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/about_12799.htm
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/090514/federal-reserve-system-affects-you-more-you-might-think.asp
http://www.cnbc.com/id/43752521