time price

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Money Is Time and Time Flies

On April 21, 1787, the Congress of the Confederation of the United States authorized a design for an official copper penny, later referred to as the Fugio cent because of its image of the Sun and its light shining down on a sundial with the caption, Fugio. Fugio is Latin for “I flee/fly”, referring to time flying by. Read More ›
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Stack of money coins with retro alarm clock
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The Good Old Days Were Really Expensive

We buy things with money but pay for them with our time. Money prices are expressed in dollars and cents, while time prices are expressed in hours and minutes. A time price is simply the money price divided by hourly income. Read More ›
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George Gilder Joins Bill and Cole Smead Live on A Book with Legs Podcast

From A Book with Legs Podcast: Live from the 2024 Smead Investor Oasis, venture capitalist George Gilder joins Bill and Cole Smead to discuss his latest work, “Life after Capitalism,” in which he redefines capitalism as a knowledge-based system. Gilder presents a vision of the future in which technological advances disrupt traditional capitalist structures, emphasizing innovation and knowledge over wealth accumulation. Listen here:

woman-hand-hold-supermarket-shopping-cart-with-abstract-blur-organic-fresh-fruits-and-vegetable-on-shelves-in-grocery-store-defocused-bokeh-light-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
woman hand hold supermarket shopping cart with abstract blur organic fresh fruits and vegetable on shelves in grocery store defocused bokeh light background
woman hand hold supermarket shopping cart with abstract blur organic fresh fruits and vegetable on shelves in grocery store defocused bokeh light background

Time Pricing Mark Perry’s Chart of the Century

Time prices are a better way to measure standards of living. Read More ›
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Man walking on campus or university
Man walking on campus or university

TVs Versus Degrees

Government heavily subsidizes demand and restricts supply in higher education. We should not be surprised when this translates into much higher prices. Read More ›
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Innovative & Creative Idea - AI Generative
Innovative & Creative Idea - AI Generative

More Light Innovation

The cost of a 1600 lumen LED lightbulb has recently dropped by 25 percent. The new bulb also offers a great innovation. The problem with LED bulbs is that they come in five different shades. Feit Electric’s new light solves this problem by putting a switch on each bulb that lets you pick your preferred shade level. The energy to use this new lightbulb costs 17 percent more, or around 31 cents a year ($2.11 versus $1.80 based on 3 hours per day at 11 cents per kWh.) The new bulb will give you an hour of great light for less than 0.2 cents. Blue-collar workers are currently earning around $35 an hour in compensation (wages and benefits). One hour Read More ›

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Illustration of a 70s kitchen. Stove, microwave. 70s furniture. Classic retro refrigerator. 70s design
Illustration of a 70s kitchen. Stove, microwave. 70s furniture. Classic retro refrigerator. 70s design

From 1979 to 2019 Finished Goods Became 761 Percent More Abundant for Upskilling Workers

35 consumer goods take 54.4% to 94.9% less time to earn the money to buy. Most of us begin our work life as unskilled workers. But we learn new skills every day and this allows us to upgrade to higher-paying jobs. In a word, we enjoy career mobility. This is why it is important to follow a person’s path through their economic life.  We create categories to divide populations into groups. Categories can provide useful demographic snapshots. Categories don’t change but people move through categories throughout their lives. This is why in many cases it makes more sense to look at individuals instead of categories. We talk about this issue here. We looked at the time prices of 35 finished goods Read More ›

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the interior metal manufacturing the view from the top
the interior metal manufacturing the view from the top

George Will: Progressive Gloom Ignores a Marvelous Historical Economic Measure

In “Life After Capitalism,” George Gilder, citing Marian L. Tupy and Gale L. Pooley in the Cato Institute’s volume “Superabundance,” writes that “between 1980 and 2022, workers have been able to buy some 300 percent more goods and services with their hours and minutes.” The secret sauce is applied knowledge. Read More ›