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FREE BITCOIN & PERSONAL FINANCE EDUCATION

Your
money
is losing
ground.

The dollar has lost 87% of its purchasing powerpurchasing powerWhat a dollar can actually buy, not what the dollar number says. A 1971 dollar bought a gallon of gas. Today's dollar buys roughly a third of one. Same dollar, much less buying ability.Full definition since 1971[1]. The same paycheck buys less every year. This site explains why, and what to do about it.

Start with the problem → Take the quiz

You don't have to agree with the Bitcoin thesis to use this site. The personal finance content stands on its own. Start wherever fits.

Purchasing power of $1 since 1971 Horizontal bars representing what $1 from 1971 buys in each decade. 1971 full width; 1980 62 cents; 1990 49; 2000 38; 2010 28; 2026 13 cents. Source: BLS CPIConsumer Price Index (CPI)The government's measure of how much a typical basket of consumer goods costs over time.Full definition-U inflationinflationA general increase in prices over time, meaning each dollar buys less than it did before.Full definition calculator. WHAT $1 BUYS OVER TIME $ 1971 Full dollar $1.00 purchasing power 1.00 $ 1980 Sixty-two cents 0.62 $ 1990 Forty-nine cents 0.49 $ 2000 Thirty-eight cents 0.38 $ 2010 28 cents 0.28 $ 2026 13¢ Your dollar today. 0.13 of 1971 purchasing power SOURCE: BLS CPI-U INFLATION CALCULATOR
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Where are you right now?

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START HERE

“I’m behind and stressed about money.”

Credit card debt. No savings. Paycheck to paycheck. The whole site feels too advanced for where you are right now.

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GETTING STARTED

“I’m just getting started.”

Some income, some expenses, not much saved. You’ve heard of Bitcoin but don’t own any yet.

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ON EXCHANGE

“I own Bitcoin on an exchange.”

You bought BTCBitcoin (BTC)The ticker symbol for Bitcoin, used on exchanges and in price quotes.Full definition but it’s still on Coinbase, River, or another custodian. That’s a risk.

Get off the exchange →
GO DEEPER

“I want to go deeper.”

You understand the basics. Now you want the monetary system, tax strategy, and the long-term plan.

Bitcoin economics →
200+ pages · 300,000+ words · 57 interactive tools · always free
See what happened to wages, housing, and debt in one place: wtfhappenedin1971.com ↗

What’s on this site

THE PROBLEM & BITCOIN
YOUR FINANCIAL FOUNDATION
GO DEEP

Run the numbers yourself

DCA Calculator
Pick any year. Put in a dollar amount. See what consistent buying would have returned.
Retirement Planner
Your age, your DCA amount, your target. See the stack across four scenarios.
Debt Payoff Calculator
Enter what you owe. Find out whether to pay it down or invest, the math tells you the answer.
Sat Converter
Type a dollar amount. See exactly how many satoshis that buys right now.

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https://fiatisfake.org
SOURCES
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator, bls.gov
  2. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), M2 Money Stock (M2SL), fred.stlouisfed.org
  3. Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin Whitepaper (2008), bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
  4. CoinGecko historical price data (BTC CAGRCompound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)The average yearly growth rate of an investment, assuming profits are reinvested each year., 10-year trailing), coingecko.com

Last updated 2026-04-17. Not financial advice. Do your own research.