Is a Dollar Always Worth a Dollar?
The value of a dollar changes dramatically, depending on when you can take control of the dollar and invest it. The critical variable in the exact value of a dollar is time. If someone owes you a dollar, do you want him to pay you today or next year? Yes! The answer is, Today. With inflation consistently destroying the purchasing power of a dollar, a year from now a dollar will be worth slightly less than it is today. “Inflation” is an economic term used to describe the gradual tendency of prices to rise over time. If inflation is 2% per year, which means that prices, on average, will rise 2% over the next year, which in turn means that your dollar can purchase 2 cents less in a year than it can today. That’s right, with 2% inflation, a dollar today is worth only 98 cents in a year. Continue reading