Scary Charts

(Not) Random Thoughts on Retirement and THE SCARY CHART of the Year So Far

/ SupremeCmdr / 12 Comments

How Bad Could This Get? https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2025/04/how-bad-could-this-get/. I’ve lived through several stock market crashes. And to think I started the day reading up on the latest U of Michigan healthy aging poll.

National Poll on Healthy Aging home

Working adults age 50 and older commonly reported these reasons for working as being very important:

  • Have financial stability (78%)
  • Save for retirement (65%)
  • Get access to health insurance (59%)
  • Support family members financially (52%)
  • Maximize Social Security benefits (46%)

Link: https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/

How about adding these bullet points to the list:

  • Working past age 50 enables you to weather stock market volatility better
  • Working past age 60 enables you to have financial stability when the stock portion of your retirement portfolio loses value
  • Working past age 70 enables you to say I’m glad to be still working when the stock portion of my retirement portfolio loses value.

Disclaimer: the additional bullet points are fictional and not related to the real poll questions or answers.

Monday should be a very interesting day in the stock market. Stocks appear to be headed towards a fire sale. Time to buy!

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

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments
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.

Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem (Scary Charts 03.10.25)

/ SupremeCmdr / 6 Comments

Source – https://www.apolloacademy.com/there-is-a-significant-need-for-retirement-savings-in-the-us/

Short of forcing people to save for retirement, Social Security remains the safety net for those who lack access to retirement vehicles or don’t have the means to save. – How Many Americans Don’t Save For Retirement? https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2025/03/how-many-americans-dont-save-for-retirement/

TBH, Social Security is a much higher portion of our retirement income than I had planned for.

The Dark Side of TikTok – Beef Tallow For Skincare

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In just three years, the share of U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has more than quadrupled, from 3% in 2020 to 14% in 2023.

More Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend seen on most other social media sites — https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/15/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites/

Beef tallow (if smeared on your face) may be be comedogenic according to Dr. Lee – The Beef Tallow TikTok Skincare Trend: Here Are The Concerns – https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2024/12/08/the-beef-tallow-tiktok-skincare-trend-here-are-the-concerns/

This too shall not end well.

The Dark Side of TikTok – Financial Advice?

The Dark Side of Tik Tok – Updated

The Dark Side of Tik Tok – Soak Your Eyeballs in Castor Oil

Scary Charts 12.01.24

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Office CMBS Delinquency Rate Spikes to 10.4%, Just Below Worst of Financial Crisis Meltdown. Fastest 2-Year Spike Ever – https://wolfstreet.com/2024/11/30/office-cmbs-delinquency-rate-spikes-to-10-4-just-below-worst-of-financial-crisis-cre-meltdown-fastest-2-year-spike-ever/

Yikes.

The world’s worst countries for binge-drinking – https://www.statista.com/chart/5357/the-worlds-worst-countries-for-binge-drinking/

Yikes.

Which Lifestyle Changes Can Make You Live Longer? – https://www.statista.com/chart/31766/reduction-in-the-risk-of-premature-death-after-age-40-when-sticking-to-the-lifestyle-factors/

Yikes.

The Worst U.S. States For Binge Drinking – https://www.statista.com/chart/12345/the-worst-us-states-for-binge-drinking/

Yikes. But a great day for Scary Charts!