“"Average" isn't so hot at the race track given those steep track takes. "Average" is pretty decent for stocks, something like 6 percent above the inflation rate. For a buy-and -hold investor, commissions and taxes are small.” GivenRaceTaxesPercentHotRateAverageTrackDecentInvestorsInflationSteepRace Track Author:William Poundstone
“Kelso's proposals do promise to free us from our morbid dependency on economic health through armament manufacture; they promise a way out of the welfare mess, out of foodstamps and ship subsidies, out of perpetual inflation, and they suggest a means of doing these things without being too disruptive of the wealth of five percent of the population who own the rest of us.” WayMeanWisdomPoliticsWealthEconomyFiveEconomicPromisePercentPopulationShipsMessWelfareLiberalismPerpetualInflationProposalDependencyMorbidDisruptiveSubsidiesArmament Author:Nicholas von Hoffman
“Adjusted for inflation, somebody going to college today to a state university, is paying about 300 percent of what her mom or dad did just 30 years ago.” YearsStatesTodayCollegeMomDadPercentYears AgoUniversityInflationGoing To College Author:Elizabeth Warren
“The idea that when people see prices falling they will stop buying those cheaper goods or cheaper food does not make much sense. And aiming for 2 percent inflation every year means that after a decade prices are more than 25 percent higher and the price level doubles every generation. That is not price stability, yet they call it price stability. I just do not understand central banks wanting a little inflation.” PeopleYearsMeanLittlesDoeIdeasFallLevelsGenerationsHigherPercentDecadesBuyingGoodsStabilityInflationCheaperCentral BanksPrice Stability Author:Paul Volcker
“It makes no difference to a widow with her savings in a 5 percent passbook account whether she pays 100 percent income tax on her interest income during a period of zero inflation or pays no income tax during years of 5 percent inflation. Either way, she is 'taxed' in a manner that leaves her no real income whatsoever. Any money she spends comes right out of capital. She would find outrageous a 100 percent income tax but doesn't seem to notice that 5 percent inflation is the economic equivalent.” WayYearsRealSeemsInterestDifferencesPayEconomicPeriodsTaxesPercentAccountsIncomeSavingZeroInflationSavingsOutrageousWidowsIncome Tax Author:Warren Buffett
“And so our goal on health care is, if we can get, instead of health care costs going up 6 percent a year, it's going up at the level of inflation, maybe just slightly above inflation, we've made huge progress. And by the way, that is the single most important thing we could do in terms of reducing our deficit. That's why we did it.” IfsWayYearsMadeImportantCareGoalTermLevelsProgressHugeCostPercentImportant ThingsHealth CareInflationDeficitReducingHealth Care Costs Author:Barack Obama
“Median wages of production workers, who comprise 80 percent of the workforce, haven't risen in 30 years, adjusted for inflation.” YearsHavensPercentWorkersProductionsWagesInflationRisenWorkforceMedian Author:Robert Reich