I am 37 years old and have witnessed multiple stock crashes in the last 15 years. I would say Covid really smacked me over the side of the head to finally knock some sense into me.
I think for the better part of my twenties and my early thirties I genuinely believed hard work, training and experience is truly what dictated the amount of compensation I would receive. The dollar amount my social contract was worth. This is the textbook belief system we are all taught growing up.
So what happens when those models are actually flawed, obsolete or legally changed through policy driven procedures?
You get asset value protection safeguards. Inflation, product appreciation, hoarding of goods. Solid wood, oak, high end raw material furniture pieces, glassware, ceramics, decorations, designer goods, video games, comics, toys, trading cards, housing. On and on it goes.
The assumption would be the speculators are just smarter than everyone else. It''s really hard to believe that when inflation hit 20 percent in 3 years. You could literally have bought bulk inventory of almost anything of decent quality and you've made out well. This does not even remotely resemble “hard work” but more closely showcases access, capital advantages and storage capabilities to increase bulk inventory and supply to sell to the masses.
We are told that it's your fault you don't have any money. You just haven't worked hard enough but a system that is designed to increase the value of goods year over year forever does not seem to be a system based on hard work at all. It appears to be a system of people who exploit the game and keep the supply out of the hands of the masses in order to sell those goods at a higher price over and over again.