Here's the inflation-adjusted price of gasoline every years since 1978 to 2021.

[Bill Guenthner]

Fair statement but currently it's dropping like a flat tire. Precious metals is a LONG term investment with financial stability. the market isn't and never will be. Kind of like playing the slots at a casino. Sometimes you win, most times you loose.

Gold has as many negative years as stocks do. Gold doesn’t create anything. E.g. Ford is building plants and hiring people, gold sits on a shelf and does nothing. Gold can’t grow the economy.

 

[5030]

Gold is a long term stable investment and has little to do with growing the economy. You need to differentiate between liquidity and stable investments so your comment is without merit.

 

[5030]

Kind of puts me in mind of growing a savings account where you are actually loosing principal because the bank pays so little return when you factor in inflation, you go backwards.

My savings account is merely a slush find for paying for immediate costs. Nothing more.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Gold is a long term stable investment and has little to do with growing the economy. You need to differentiate between liquidity and stable investments so your comment is without merit.

No. Gold is not any “more stable” or “long term” than stocks, land, or other assets. Your assertion is disproven by actual returns over the last 100 years. Gold under-performs those assets over any 10 year holding period. Gold is a short-term hedge investment, at best. Gold is a terrible long term investment.

 

[MossRoad]

I expect many of our kids are hoping we die and leave them enough money to fund their retirement.

As our parents told us, and we now tell our kids...

"It's not your inheritance, it's our retirement."

 

[ovrszd]

I expect many of our kids are hoping we die and leave them enough money to fund their retirement.

I just mentioned this in another thread.

My Sons will inherit $1M in farmland and equipment at today's prices. Although they look at it as I do, a family heritage to hang on to.

I have a good friend who's kids don't even try to hide your concept. They are vultures sitting on a tree limb just waiting. Neither of them are doing anything to secure their own retirement. The amusing part to me is my friend is barely worth $1M if you sell everything including his shoes. That won't go far split between two kids. They'll get more than they deserve though.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

To show how much prices have grown over the years, here's data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the average price of a gallon of gas for every year between 1978 and 2021, as well as what the inflation-adjusted cost would be.

• 1978: $0.65 ($2.99 inflation-adjusted)
• 1979: $0.88 ($3.70 inflation-adjusted)
• 1980: $1.22 ($4.51 inflation-adjusted)
• 1981: $1.35 ($4.46 inflation-adjusted)
• 1982: $1.28 ($3.90 inflation-adjusted)
• 1983: $1.23 ($3.62 inflation-adjusted)
• 1984: $1.20 ($3.39 inflation-adjusted)
• 1985: $1.20 ($3.27 inflation-adjusted)
• 1986: $0.93 ($2.44 inflation-adjusted)
• 1987: $0.96 ($2.48 inflation-adjusted)
• 1988: $0.96 ($2.39 inflation-adjusted)
• 1989: $1.06 ($2.52 inflation-adjusted)
• 1990: $1.22 ($2.75 inflation-adjusted)
• 1991: $1.20 ($2.56 inflation-adjusted)
• 1992: $1.19 ($2.48 inflation-adjusted)
• 1993: $1.17 ($2.36 inflation-adjusted)
• 1994: $1.17 ($2.30 inflation-adjusted)
• 1995: $1.21 ($2.31 inflation-adjusted)
• 1996: $1.29 ($2.40 inflation-adjusted)
• 1997: $1.29 ($2.33 inflation-adjusted)
• 1998: $1.12 ($1.99 inflation-adjusted)
• 1999: $1.22 ($2.13 inflation-adjusted)
• 2000: $1.56 ($2.66 inflation-adjusted)
• 2001: $1.53 ($2.51 inflation-adjusted)
• 2002: $1.44 ($2.34 inflation-adjusted)
• 2003: $1.64 ($2.59 inflation-adjusted)
• 2004: $1.92 ($2.98 inflation-adjusted)
• 2005: $2.34 ($3.53 inflation-adjusted)
• 2006: $2.64 ($3.83 inflation-adjusted)
• 2007: $2.85 ($4.05 inflation-adjusted)
• 2008: $3.32 ($4.52 inflation-adjusted)
• 2009: $2.40 ($3.27 inflation-adjusted)
• 2010: $2.84 ($3.77 inflation-adjusted)
• 2011: $3.58 ($4.67 inflation-adjusted)
• 2012: $3.70 ($4.69 inflation-adjusted)
• 2013: $3.58 ($4.47 inflation-adjusted)
• 2014: $3.43 ($4.22 inflation-adjusted)
• 2015: $2.51 ($3.09 inflation-adjusted)
• 2016: $2.20 ($2.67 inflation-adjusted)
• 2017: $2.47 ($2.92 inflation-adjusted)
• 2018: $2.79 ($3.24 inflation-adjusted)
• 2019: $2.70 ($3.08 inflation-adjusted)
• 2020: $2.24 ($2.50 inflation-adjusted)
• 2021: $3.13 ($3.44 inflation-adjusted)

What state is this a list for? I remember in 2014 I was buying gas for $1.89/gallon here in Southern Oregon, where prices average substantially higher than in the Midwest. It was the result of Kerry's deal with the Saudis to drive down crude prices to put a leash on Putin's military adventurism after he invaded Crimea.

 

[ovrszd]

I know someone who has made astonishing returns on Bitcoin. I'm not sure how much money he has made, but I know it is a LOT. Even with the recent price drops nearing 50%, he still made a LOT.

Personally, I'd like to warm up to Bitcoin. I like its anonymity. (although recent law enforcement cases are seeming to puncture that ....) But, I just can't understand why it has value. So I leave it to others.

Has he cashed out with his gains? Has he drawn out more than he invested? Until he does, he actually hasn't made any returns has he? If he hasn't and Bitcoin dies tomorrow, didn't he lose everything and make nothing?

 

[Snobdds]

Man...you guys sound old.

Gold and silver have the same problem as bitcoin in that you have to turn it into a federal reserve backed note to use. No store is set up to accept gold or silver in exchange for goods and service. This will come as a shock for 5030 I'm sure. I own gold and silver but it is a pain to convert to dollars. The one time I wanted to unload some silver I called up the exchange I bought it from and said I want to sell it. They said they are not buying as there are too many sellers and the price they offered was well below spot price if I really wanted to unload. I had better luck at a coin shop. The one thing bitcoin has over gold and silver is it can be used in a digital space as currency. Which anymore, a person can get groceries to a car in the digital space and therefore it's wise to have some digital currency.

Bitcoin is a store of value that is not subject to a government central bank's printing presses. The trick is to hold possession of your own digital wallet. Don't store it on a exchange like coinbase where a government (cough cough Canada) can confiscate it. There is a new bank trying to get a back end with the federal reserve to convert bitcoin to hard currency. The bank serves as an intermediary between the financial and digital world and makes it more palatable to the masses. Needless to say I am a big investor as I think that is the route digital money needs to take to become relevant.

We went from one of the best times to retire to one of the worst times to retire in the span of less than 12 months. If this persists, the baby boomers are going to have to sell off a lot of assets to continue to fund retirement at the level they have grown accustomed to. It's going to get wild.

 

[plowhog]

No. Gold is not any “more stable” or “long term” than stocks, land, or other assets. Your assertion is disproven by actual returns over the last 100 years. Gold under-performs those assets over any 10 year holding period. Gold is a short-term hedge investment, at best. Gold is a terrible long term investment.

The linked video is 1 hr long but I found it very informative. It's on the home page of the linked site.

This fellow owns a $5 gold piece from the mid-1800's. It was given to his grandfather in exchange for two days wages. He inherited it. This fellow who has it now tracks the value of gold being pretty closely tied to "2 days worth of wages" for over 150 years. Including now.

And-- he compares that to the value of having received a $5 bill instead of the $5 gold piece.

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