“The barbarian hopes — and that is the mark of him, that he can have his cake and eat it too. He will consume what civilization has slowly produced after generations of selection and effort, but he will not be at pains to replace such goods, nor indeed has he a comprehension of the virtue that has brought them into being. We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic inversion of our old certitudes; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and on these faces there are no smiles.” ~ Hilaire Belloc, This and That and the Other, 1912
There is perhaps no greater misunderstanding in modern American life than the widespread belief that the economic system under which we presently live bears a close resemblance to the free-market capitalism envisioned by the architects of classical liberalism. Across the political spectrum, citizens increasingly express dissatisfaction with economic outcomes they attribute to capitalism itself. Continue reading
All US markets crashed hard on Friday in an epic landslide as stocks took a downhill thrill ride for the record books. Bonds and Bitcoin joined the collapse!
Two Senate Democrats on Thursday called on the Trump administration to stop the production of a 24-karat gold coin bearing President Trump’s image to commemorate America’s 250th birthday, with the lawmakers expressing concerns that some of the gold used by U.S. Mint could be traced to foreign cartels.
After a blistering rally that carried bullion to record highs at $5,600 earlier this year, the metal has spent recent weeks consolidating and is now hovering directly above its long-term trend line.
The warning was blunt and delivered in public: Postmaster General David Steiner told a House oversight subcommittee in March 2026 that the U.S. Postal Service is less than a year from running out of money. If USPS keeps paying all its obligations as it has been, the cash runs out as soon as October 2026. If it defaults on more payments to buy time, the deadline extends to February 2027, but only temporarily.
In September 2020, JP Morgan paid a landmark $920 million settlement to resolve charges of “spoofing” – placing and cancelling fake buy or sell orders – to manipulate the silver market. A little over five years later, JP Morgan closed out a 3.17 million oz. silver short position (633 delivery notices), conveniently right before silver shot up from $73 to over $120/oz.
With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed, top oil-consuming countries have been rapidly draining their reserves, helping keep crude prices in check.
There is a particular kind of financial wisdom that used to be passed down at kitchen tables. A grandparent, someone who remembered harder times, would explain that the first obligation of a responsible person was to spend less than they earned, put something away, and let patience do its quiet work. The savings account was not a sophisticated instrument. It was a vessel for deferred consumption – a way of translating present discipline into future security. The interest it paid was modest, but it moved in the same direction over time.
Social Security recipients are usually already working on a shoestring budget. However, policy shifts from the Trump administration mean those monthly funds could shrink due to a pair of new(ish) benefit offsets – one that is already taking a bite out of checks, and another looming on the horizon.
The first inflation report under new Federal Reserve chief Kevin Warsh shows consumer prices in April were at their highest level in almost three years.
The US debt surpassed $31.27 trillion, exceeding the country’s $31.22 trillion in GDP. This represents a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100.2%, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, compiled by the Committee on a Responsible Federal Budget and released in April. This level is well above the historical average. Debt-to-GDP ratios, in principle, are not a cause for concern, but other economic conditions in the US aggravate the situation. 
For much of the nation, it feels like we are in a permanent economic crisis with no end in sight. I have been documenting our long-term economic decline for years, and now we have reached a point where Americans have literally never felt this bad about the state of the U.S. economy. Considering everything that we have been through over the last several decades, that is saying a lot. So how will the American people be feeling if economic conditions continue to deteriorate? We might want to be thinking about that, because all of the long-term trends are taking us in the wrong direction very rapidly.
A 2006 grocery receipt has resurfaced on X, sparking a viral conversation about food inflation that’s garnered over 12 million views, and thousands of reposts and comments.
Federal inflation data confirms what you may have been feeling already: Groceries are getting more expensive. Unfortunately, things may be about to get a whole lot worse, economists are warning.
Lowering your tax burden is one of the ways to get ahead financially, and knowing how to do so is crucial to financial success, whether it’s tax season or not.
The price of oil remains above $100 per barrel, and gasoline prices are at four-year highs.
Believe it or not, there are plenty of valuable nickels out there that could just be taking up space in your coin jar. These five-cent pieces could be worth dramatically more than their face value depending on when and how they were made, and if they contain any unique imperfections.
Social Security trust funds face depletion in the early 2030s (around 2033), after which payroll taxes would only cover approximately 77% of scheduled benefits, requiring Congress to choose between raising the payroll tax to ~15%, reducing benefits by 20-25%, raising the wage cap, or increasing retirement age.
Social Security is a popular but expensive program. With the trust fund facing depletion in just a few years, experts have suggested different ways to cut costs and make the program more sustainable, including raising the full retirement age or eliminating the payroll tax cap for high-income earners.
Coins are considered valuable for a range of reasons, such as age, rarity, or minting errors. With news that the U.S. will no longer produce pennies as of November 2025, you may be wondering if coins you have sitting around in an old change jar will increase in value.
If you haven’t checked your Medicare costs recently, you may be in for a surprise. Hospital stays are getting more expensive and not just by a little. New 2026 Medicare figures show that inpatient hospital copays have reached some of their highest levels ever, especially for longer stays. For many seniors, that means thousands of dollars in unexpected bills after just a few extra days in the hospital. Here’s what you need to know about the latest Medicare inpatient hospital copays and what you could owe per day.
The price of gold has been consistently rising for so long that even savvy investors may have missed something in recent months – a considerable decline in the precious metal’s price.
Pension funds, foreign governments and central banks, giant commercial banks – they are collectively sitting on tens of trillions of dollars worth of capital that they have to invest in a safe, stable asset.
Since 1913, the dollar has lost approximately 97% of its purchasing power. The national debt has grown from $2.9 billion to over $36 trillion. And wealth concentration has returned to levels not seen since the Gilded Age the income tax was supposed to fix.
