inflation

Work Until You Die – Scary Charts 09.07.25

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It is a common misconception that prices come down when inflation cools, when in reality a period of high inflation leaves a legacy of high prices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. consumer prices have increased 22.7 percent since January 2021, with some categories seeing even steeper price increases than that. Food prices have are up 25 percent, rents have increased almost 27 percent and transportation prices are up 28 percent. And yet, nominal wages have only grown 21.8 percent since January 2021, leaving many people worse off than they were almost five years ago. Cost of Living Is the Biggest Challenge Americans Face https://www.statista.com/chart/35054/biggest-challenges-faced-by-americans/

Retirement Savings Survey: 50% of people don’t think it’s realistic for the average American to expect to retire comfortably – https://wallethub.com/blog/retirement-savings-survey/133047

The second survey is small with just over 200 respondents. The methodology statement is vague so it’s hard to tell if the findings are truly representative of a larger population.

Maybe the survey got an overwhelming number of pessimists.

Then again, maybe not.

Yikes.

OK, I’ll Stop Complaining About the Price of Eggs (more Scary Charts)

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Horror stories of inflation in Argentina

These problems have existed for decades. Rampant government spending and massive government borrowing are two important factors. The government has defaulted on its debt nine times. Argentina’s currency was devalued by 30% in 2015, and then again in 2016. Soon after taking office in December 2023, Milei devalued the peso by more than 50%. https://tipswatch.com/2025/03/23/horror-stories-of-inflation-in-argentina/

Who Holds the Ballooning US Government Debt, even as the Fed and Foreign Holders Unloaded Treasury Securities in Q4? — https://wolfstreet.com/2025/03/18/who-holds-the-ballooning-us-government-debt-even-as-the-fed-and-foreign-holders-unloaded-treasury-securities-in-q4/

Maybe one day I’ll add my personal thoughts when I post stuff but for now I’ll let Scary Charts speak for themselves.

Scary Charts 09.23.24 (another generational gap)

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54 percent of Gen Z participants polled for Statista’s Consumer Insights survey in the U.S. between July 2023 and June 2024 claim that owning a car is important to them, compared to 69 percent of baby boomers. This suggests that the perceived necessity of car ownership is not only influenced by the availability and quality of public transit but also by generation. Owning a Car Is Less Important To Younger Generations https://www.statista.com/chart/33097/importance-of-owning-a-car-for-us-residents-by-generation/

Let me think about this. Digital from birth, Covid-19 pandemic global shutdown, social media, shared ride businesses, grocery shopping done and delivered, prepared meal delivery, inflation, cost of cars both new and used, shit jobs that don’t pay much, cost of car insurance and maintenance, cost of gasoline, going Green, fear of accidents, fear of violence, self-fulfilling prophecy, coddled since birth, never learned to drive, never wanted to drive…

Did I miss anything?

Scary Charts – 11.24.23

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Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/31306/countries-with-the-highest-annual-increases-in-consumer-prices/

I suppose this should make us feel better about higher prices in the US.

More good news – lithium is cheap again.

Lithium “Shortage” Bubble Implodes (Again), Price Collapsed 77% in a Year, as Demand and Production Both Surged – https://wolfstreet.com/2023/11/23/lithium-shortage-bubble-implodes-once-again-as-demand-and-production-both-surged/

Now all we need to do is find people who want and can afford to buy an EV.

Last month, Ford had laid off some workers building the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Competitor General Motors also said it was postponing adding more production capacity for its electric Chevrolet Silverado EV citing slow-growing demand.

Ford battery plant is back on track but scaled down — https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/business/ford-battery-plant-downscaled/index.html

Average new electric vehicle prices are actually down by more than $14,000 compared with 2022, settling at around $50,683 on average, thanks to a combination of increased supply, the arrival of more affordable models and trim levels and aggressive price cuts by Tesla, the largest EV manufacturer in the US.

Cheapest Electric Cars for 2023 — https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/the-most-affordable-electric-cars-for-2023/

Even More Random Thoughts on Retirement – October 2023

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Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/31034/change-in-behavior-in-response-to-inflation/

Muscle loss and chronic disease

One of the most important parts of exercise programming, no matter who I am working with, is proper resistance training to build muscle strength. Some amount of age-related loss of muscle function is normal and inevitable. But by incorporating resistance training that is appropriate and safe at any ability level, you can slow down the rate of decline and even prevent some loss of muscle function.

The medical term for a condition that involves age-related loss of muscle function and mass is sarcopenia. Sarcopenia can begin as early as age 40, but it tends to be more common in adults age 60 and older. Sarcopenia is associated with a number of health issues such as increased risk of falling, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease, among others.

In one of our team’s previous studies, we saw that otherwise healthy individuals with sarcopenia had issues delivering vital nutrients to muscle. This could lead to greater likelihood of various diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, and slow down recovery from exercise.

Recent estimates suggest that sarcopenia affects 10% to 16% of the elderly population worldwide. But even if a person doesn’t have clinically diagnosed sarcopenia, they may still have some of the underlying symptoms that, if not dealt with, could lead to sarcopenia.

Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here’s how strength training can change the trajectory —https://theconversation.com/steep-physical-decline-with-age-is-not-inevitable-heres-how-strength-training-can-change-the-trajectory-213131

Reducing overall calorie intake may rejuvenate your muscles and activate biological pathways important for good health, according to researchers. Decreasing calories without depriving the body of essential vitamins and minerals, known as calorie restriction, has long been known to delay the progression of age-related diseases in animal models. This new study suggests the same biological mechanisms may also apply to humans.

NIH/National Institute on Aging. “Calorie restriction in humans builds strong muscle and stimulates healthy aging genes.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 October 2023. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231013150733.htm

When I said random thoughts I meant it.

Scary Charts – 07.07.23

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Americans today are lacking crucial savings needed for managing short-term emergencies and building long-term wealth. According to a rolling representative online survey among U.S. adults by YouGov, 27 percent of Americans had some savings below $1,000 as of May 2023, while 12 percent said they had no savings at all.

Savings: Quarter of Americans Have Few, One in 10 Have None — https://www.statista.com/chart/20323/americans-lack-savings/

Quote for Today 12.09.22 AND Scary Charts

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There is no mystery to controlling inflation. You just have to stop spending money you don’t have…stop lending out money at interest rates below inflation…and stop ‘printing’ up extra money to cover the holes in your budget. Instead, most governments continue to spend and print. Inflation is on the rise almost everywhere. And for the first time in modern history, much of the entire world’s middle class – the people who make the world work – is facing a grim period of higher inflation and lower real standards of living.

Three Strikes, You’re Out! More on the government’s middle class massacre – Bonner Private Research https://bonnerprivateresearch.substack.com/p/three-strikes-youre-out

But wait…it’s worse in North America.

I’m just thankful I haven’t retired yet.