Maybe the government shouldn't act when the next recession occurs. Let the companies that made bad business decisions go out of business like they should. I don't see why the tax payers should keep bailing them out with more printed helicopter money. The fed should raise interest rates to clear out (deflate) all the excess money they've been pouring into economy since 2008. Sure it would cause a rescission but it would be short term (the average used to be two years) then everything would be back in balance. The government could help people out with temporary extended unemployment benefits if needed. The Fed can't keep printing money forever, unless they want to end up like Germany in the 1930's. Actually they're already doing that, its just in slow motion. I found a US inflation calculator that said from the period 1913 to 2026 the total rate of inflation of the US dollar has been over three thousand percent (3,272.9%). You can thank the Federal Reserve for that.
Debt (leverage) is bad. I read somewhere in one of my investing books that a company that has no debt can't go out of business. If Aschenbrenner hadn't leveraged up his fund might still be around.
SS wouldn't need COLA's if the inflation rate was zero, or even better, less than zero (deflation, the money gains more value). I know to a lot of people deflation is a dirty word but it shouldn't be. Deflation is just taking excess money out of circulation which used to happen after every recession. You can't keep printing money forever which the Fed has been doing since 2008.
After reading several investment books before I retired, the only way to reliably beat inflation is to own stocks. I little while ago I read somewhere, or I might have heard it on WealthTrack, that the return on German equity's in the 1920's kept pace with the hyperinflation that happened there.
Things I could cut, first class plane tickets, day trips once or twice a month where I burn up a full tank of gas, buying a new cordless power tool I don't really need, buying a large 5.3 oz. Lindt Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Classic Recipe Bar every Sunday when I do my grocery shopping. But I'm not in the saturation of your friend. I'm retired, have no debt, and my pension and social security income cover all my expenses with money left over. If I was your friend I'd being cutting back everything to the bare minimum. The last thing he wants is to run out of money. He should also explore looking for another job, any job, even part time which would slow or stop his cash buffer draw down and extend extend the time he can wait until things pick up again.
Competent work. I reroofed my front porch roof several years ago and found the tarpaper under the singles didn't even overlap. Who ever had reroofed it years earlier, besides the lousy tarpaper job, couldn't figure how to keep a long piece of flashing below two windows at the top of the roof from popping up. A 2X4 was then nailed at the bottom to keep it down. Over the years water built up behind the 2X4 and rotted the tops of the roof joists and decking at every nail. I had to sister on new joists and redeck most of the roof.
Toilet cistern? You must in Europe somewhere. Here in the US we call them toilet tanks. Look at it this way, you acted as your own trade person (repairman in the US) and were paid $1000. Plus you know the job was done right. Go buy yourself something special, like a bigger tv.
I "invested" in 3000 shares of Cray Computer after Seymour Cray died and it became penny stock. There had been talk that what was left of the company was being bought and the shares were to be reissued. I had dollar signs dancing in my head. It never happened, the price slowly dropped down to zero. After a year or two the stock was written off my account.
In 1937 a $100 a was a lot of money, a lot. A round $2,300 in todays inflated dollars. That was too much for one share of stock. Even $10 then ($230 today) was still a lot.
Comments
Maybe the government shouldn't act when the next recession occurs. Let the companies that made bad business decisions go out of business like they should. I don't see why the tax payers should keep bailing them out with more printed helicopter money. The fed should raise interest rates to clear out (deflate) all the excess money they've been pouring into economy since 2008. Sure it would cause a rescission but it would be short term (the average used to be two years) then everything would be back in balance. The government could help people out with temporary extended unemployment benefits if needed. The Fed can't keep printing money forever, unless they want to end up like Germany in the 1930's. Actually they're already doing that, its just in slow motion. I found a US inflation calculator that said from the period 1913 to 2026 the total rate of inflation of the US dollar has been over three thousand percent (3,272.9%). You can thank the Federal Reserve for that.
Post: $40 Trillion of Debt
Link to comment from August 22, 2026
Debt (leverage) is bad. I read somewhere in one of my investing books that a company that has no debt can't go out of business. If Aschenbrenner hadn't leveraged up his fund might still be around.
Post: Risk Management
Link to comment from August 15, 2026
SS wouldn't need COLA's if the inflation rate was zero, or even better, less than zero (deflation, the money gains more value). I know to a lot of people deflation is a dirty word but it shouldn't be. Deflation is just taking excess money out of circulation which used to happen after every recession. You can't keep printing money forever which the Fed has been doing since 2008.
Post: Short term and long term Social Security planning
Link to comment from August 8, 2026
That's kind of ironic since Congress has been borrowing from the trust fund for years.
Post: Taxing Social Security benefits
Link to comment from August 8, 2026
After reading several investment books before I retired, the only way to reliably beat inflation is to own stocks. I little while ago I read somewhere, or I might have heard it on WealthTrack, that the return on German equity's in the 1920's kept pace with the hyperinflation that happened there.
Post: Taking a Loss?
Link to comment from August 2, 2026
Things I could cut, first class plane tickets, day trips once or twice a month where I burn up a full tank of gas, buying a new cordless power tool I don't really need, buying a large 5.3 oz. Lindt Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Classic Recipe Bar every Sunday when I do my grocery shopping. But I'm not in the saturation of your friend. I'm retired, have no debt, and my pension and social security income cover all my expenses with money left over. If I was your friend I'd being cutting back everything to the bare minimum. The last thing he wants is to run out of money. He should also explore looking for another job, any job, even part time which would slow or stop his cash buffer draw down and extend extend the time he can wait until things pick up again.
Post: One Person’s Luxury, Another’s Necessity
Link to comment from July 25, 2026
Competent work. I reroofed my front porch roof several years ago and found the tarpaper under the singles didn't even overlap. Who ever had reroofed it years earlier, besides the lousy tarpaper job, couldn't figure how to keep a long piece of flashing below two windows at the top of the roof from popping up. A 2X4 was then nailed at the bottom to keep it down. Over the years water built up behind the 2X4 and rotted the tops of the roof joists and decking at every nail. I had to sister on new joists and redeck most of the roof.
Post: Reluctantly Saving Money
Link to comment from July 11, 2026
Toilet cistern? You must in Europe somewhere. Here in the US we call them toilet tanks. Look at it this way, you acted as your own trade person (repairman in the US) and were paid $1000. Plus you know the job was done right. Go buy yourself something special, like a bigger tv.
Post: Reluctantly Saving Money
Link to comment from July 11, 2026
I "invested" in 3000 shares of Cray Computer after Seymour Cray died and it became penny stock. There had been talk that what was left of the company was being bought and the shares were to be reissued. I had dollar signs dancing in my head. It never happened, the price slowly dropped down to zero. After a year or two the stock was written off my account.
Post: Independence Day
Link to comment from July 4, 2026
In 1937 a $100 a was a lot of money, a lot. A round $2,300 in todays inflated dollars. That was too much for one share of stock. Even $10 then ($230 today) was still a lot.
Post: Billy’s Certificate – 1937
Link to comment from June 27, 2026