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.
After retiring I read several investment books (books I should have read years earlier). In one of them, I can't remember which, it said that over the course of a year the average stock or fund can have its price drop up to 50%, but then have that drop reversed within the same year. It just happened to me. I almost baled out, but then changed my mind, and now the price is back up and even a little higher. If I hadn't been looking at the price everyday I wouldn't have even known it had happened. It pays to leave things alone.
Milton Freemen made a video, I think it was back in the 80's, He said, "Watch me stop inflation", and then he turned off a printing press at "The Bureau of Engraving and Printing".
Comments
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
Just wondering why you made the move back to a house from a condo. A lot people are doing or thinking of doing the opposite.
Post: Moving is Expensive!
Link to comment from June 6, 2026
After retiring I read several investment books (books I should have read years earlier). In one of them, I can't remember which, it said that over the course of a year the average stock or fund can have its price drop up to 50%, but then have that drop reversed within the same year. It just happened to me. I almost baled out, but then changed my mind, and now the price is back up and even a little higher. If I hadn't been looking at the price everyday I wouldn't have even known it had happened. It pays to leave things alone.
Post: Farrell Behavior
Link to comment from May 30, 2026
Why for a limited time? Make it permanent.
Post: Should Retirees Get a Temporary Flat Tax Window on IRA and 401(k) Withdrawals?
Link to comment from May 30, 2026
Milton Freemen made a video, I think it was back in the 80's, He said, "Watch me stop inflation", and then he turned off a printing press at "The Bureau of Engraving and Printing".
Post: Inflation and Innovation
Link to comment from May 23, 2026