Tag Archives: money

Let’s talk about greed and hoarding.

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Oleg Volk

These two charges are usually leveled at successful entrepreneurs. A person who hoards money is literally being selfless: they provided a service or produced goods for which they money were given, then proceeded to hold onto these *tokens of value* … Continue reading →

Posted in economics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Economic ignorance or a real concern?

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Oleg Volk

I see people bellyaching about Mexicans working in the US and sending cash home. When a person performs work or sells a product, they get money for it. The money is a claim on future services or goods. If that … Continue reading →

Posted in advice requested | Tagged , | 13 Comments

US Postal service must be really slow…

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Oleg Volk

I was told “the check is in the mail” a couple of months ago, and it hasn’t arrived from Central Florida yet.  Two weeks ago, the same folks told me that they will actually have funds to pay at the … Continue reading →

Posted in advice requested | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Utah friend needs legal/financial advice

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Oleg Volk

A friend just got pre-approved for a home loan. The bank then reversed itself saying that they looked more closely and her credit wasn’t as good. So she dug deeper and found the following: DATC, a tech school which she … Continue reading →

Posted in advice requested | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Good places to shop with Bitcoin?

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Oleg Volk

I have a small Bitcoin account and would like to put the funds in it to use. What’s a good place to buy electronics or ammunition with it?

Posted in advice requested | Tagged | 3 Comments

Price comparisons

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Oleg Volk

Just an idle thought: from 1900 to 1933, US dollar was worth roughly a pennyweight (1/20 troy ounce or 1.556 gram) of gold. As of today, gold trades for just under $43/gram. A dollar today buys about 67 times less … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, food, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

When inflation isn’t.

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Oleg Volk

In my previous post, I cited the rise of ammunition and restaurant meal prices as examples of inflation. That wasn’t the whole story. Inflation is what happens when the amount of money in circulation increases faster than the supply of … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, weapon | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The economics of gun control.

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Oleg Volk

We talk often about the technical aspects of gun control. Arbitrary specifications, capricious enforcement, massive mis-allocation of resouces… What are the financial effects of gun control as proposed by Feinstein and others of her kind? The most immediate effect is … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, self-defense, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Hidden Inflation.

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Oleg Volk

Producers are under two pressures: to raise prices to account for the loss of purchasing power of each dollar, and to lower prices to attract customers with declining incomes. They most obvious way to accomplish both is to keep the … Continue reading →

Posted in civil rights, sound suppressor | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Inflation Estimate

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Oleg Volk

My best estimate for inflation on my own consumer goods basket this year is 21% rather than the official 3%. Product and service quality have dropped noticeably to maintain a price point. Personal incomes have dropped largely because government spending … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 7 Comments

A question for the economists

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Oleg Volk

Would a US government default on its obligations necessarily or even likely mean that private companies would have a harder time borrowing money?

Posted in advice requested | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

What’s in his nassssty pocketsssesss?

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Oleg Volk

In Sprague de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall (now available freely on-line!), a historian visiting Rome gets shunted from 1939 to 536AD. Besides half-way decent knowledge of Latin, he has what was in his pockets at the time of the transfer: … Continue reading →

Posted in book, interesting people, knife, pistol | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments