thanks for this post! It put quite a few things into a new perspective for me.

About investing in the stock market: that's good if you know what you're doing. I gave my money to a big investment firm which put it all into mutual funds. I needed it when everyone else needed it, during a crash, and there was no more in those accounts than I had invested. Yes, it's all nice and high right now, but will it be when you need it? When you've lost your job because of an economic crash, and so have many of the people you know? I just started trying to learn how to trade for myself. So far, I haven't made anything, but I haven't lost anything either. Onward!

I took a lot of money out in cash, so that, should the banks not be able to dispense money or our credit cards stopped working (which seemed quite possible during covid), I would be able to purchase needed supplies. This money can no longer buy as much as it did a few years ago. Can we say it has deflated? The dollar remains strong, so idk what we say that money has done for me since.

When looking at whether or not a house has been a good investment, too many of us don't figure in the fact that we got to live in the property, or use it in some way, which has a value far above the dollar values. Thank you for pointing that out.

Same for the coin. I love that you love it. Priceless!