356: The 12 Days of Christmas INFLATION ADJUSTED

25 Dec 2020 · 0 min
Episode

25 Dec 2020 · 0 min

0:00

In this holiday‑themed episode, host Jason Hartman walks listeners through PNC Bank’s 37‑year “12 Days of Christmas” inflation‑adjusted index, explaining how each gift’s cost has changed in real dollars and why some items are unavailable due to the pandemic. He uses the index as a springboard to discuss inflation’s role as a hidden tax that erodes purchasing power but also destroys debt, turning interest‑only mortgage debt into wealth for borrowers. Hartman illustrates this with a detailed example of buying ten rental properties financed with interest‑only loans, showing how 10% inflation effectively reduces the principal owed. He then expands into broader real‑estate investment advice, emphasizing the rent‑to‑value (RV) ratio, the distinction between a home as an expense versus an income‑producing investment, and the benefits of low‑price rental properties. Throughout the show he promotes a contest offering $500 to listeners who submit a short video about their real‑estate and personal goals, and he intersperses political commentary on stimulus, line‑item vetoes, and criticism of the CPI’s weighting, substitution, and hedonic indexing. Additional topics include the impact of technology on construction (nail gun as the biggest disruption), listener Q&A on selling a primary residence, and a brief historical overview of Federal Reserve chair eras linked to inflation trends. The episode blends informal, conversational, and occasionally snarky tones with a generally enthusiastic yet critical stance toward inflation, government policy, and alternative asset classes.

More from Jason

51:49
Podcast

2482: AI Labor Displacement and the K-Shaped Housing Affordability: High-End Housing and the New Economic Divide with Adam Taggart

2d ago
51:49
Podcast

2482: AI Labor Displacement and the K-Shaped Housing Affordability: High-End Housing and the New Economic Divide with Adam Taggart

2d ago
31:13
Podcast

2481: Speculative Flipping Failures vs. The Warren Buffett Philosophy

4d ago
31:13
Podcast

2481: Speculative Flipping Failures vs. The Warren Buffett Philosophy

4d ago
33:42
Podcast

2480 FBF: Investor Mindset & DuckDuckGo Founder, Super Thinking Mental Models & Traction, How Any Startup Explosive Growth by Gabriel Weinberg

1w ago
33:42
Podcast

2480 FBF: Investor Mindset & DuckDuckGo Founder, Super Thinking Mental Models & Traction, How Any Startup Explosive Growth by Gabriel Weinberg

1w ago
34:21
Podcast

2479: Property Tracker: Understanding the Math of Income Property

1w ago
34:21
Podcast

2479: Property Tracker: Understanding the Math of Income Property

1w ago
45:20
Podcast

2478 FBF: Jim Rickards on The Death of Money, Aftermath, Currency Wars & The New Great Depression

2w ago
45:20
Podcast

2478 FBF: Jim Rickards on The Death of Money, Aftermath, Currency Wars & The New Great Depression

2w ago
30:36
Podcast

2477: Builder Profit Margins Hit 26-Year Lows and Solving the American Housing Crisis

2w ago
See all content