Posted on 03/20/2016 6:23:09 PM PDT by SkyPilot
Over the past decade, we've been told that inflation has been tame -- actually below the target the Federal Reserve would like to see. But if that's true, then why does the average household find it harder and harder to get by?
The ugly reality is that the true annual cost of living is far outpacing the government's reported inflation rate. By nearly 10x in many parts of the country.
This week, we welcome Ed Butowsky, developer of the Chapwood Index, to the program. His index is a 'real world' measure of how prices are increasing much faster than the wages of the 99% can afford:
In my business, I wanted to make sure that I was building portfolios that weren’t just efficient but got people the rate of return that they needed. I thought: My goodness, what I need to do is give people a list of everything they spend money on and have them track quarter by quarter exactly their increases, so I can do a better job as a financial advisor in determining what return I need to target.
I got a hold of a list of 50 major metropolitan areas and found people in every city and I gave them a job: I asked everybody to send me what items they spend their after-tax dollars on. I got about 4,000 different items. Then I took the 500 that most frequently appeared on the list and we've been tracking specifically these same items in every city since that period of time. I weight this list based on what percentage of a normal income people spend on each item.
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
If you are a man, I suggest looking for a real “barber” you know they are one if they have the rotating spiral sign out front (only real barbers are allowed to use them).
A cut from a barber here costs about $8.
>>Watch, however, how quickly mayhem will spread if things go south, especially among the Taker class
On that note, I’m going to post Travis McGee’s essay on the subject, on the off chance there are a few who haven’t read it.
When The Music Stops – How America’s Cities May Explode In Violence
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/bracken-when-the-music-stops-how-americas-cities-may-explode-in-violence/
One way i flation is being hidden is the decrease in size of products while the price remains te same. What used to be 36 oz for $3.00 is now 30 oz for $3.00.
Ping for later
Mine is in the attic and it picks up about 90 miles. Some days the few stations that far away come in and out. But all of the stations in and around Houston are clear as a bell and TRUE HD. Of course, there are Spanish, muslim and Asian speaking stations that don’t count.
I have a 2012 Ford Fiesta with manual transmission, manual windows, manual seats, and no remote for the door locks.
All because I did not want an automatic transmission.
GROCERIES are increasing at rapid rates I do not understand WHY they are NOT included in inflation figures!!! Everyone has to buy groceries!!!
I am VERY surprised these restaurants can accept EBT cards, in CA. you can not buy hot prepared food, grocery chains have to prepare entire section of the same foods cold for EBT users!!!
Where I live the sales tax on a restaurant meal is now more than the entire meal PLUS tax was in the sixties. Back then if you had a hundred dollars you could go on vacation, now you can barely take a day trip for that. Let me go further and I invite anyone who disagrees to prove me wrong. If my wife and I had only my social seccurity check and no other income and prices were at 1950 levels we could buy a new Ford every other month, BURN the old one and still have enough money to live very well.
I do find it strange to see a Starbucks inside a Target. If I had money to throw away at Starbucks I probably would not be in Target. Whole families used to live on what it costs to get coffee at Starbucks once a day.
I drive cars through a big dealer auction here once a week. I very seldom get a vehicle with crank windows and very few with a stick shift, most of the drivers who work there can’t even drive a stick shift.
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