U.S. Household Debt Exceeds $14 Trillion for the First Time

[Warpy]

14. Before the double digit interest rates late in the 70s

mortgage rates were in the single digits and housing prices even in eastern Mass. were low five figures for something small and livable. Prices there have gone up by a factor of ten while interest rates have been halved. Do the math. That is one area I am familiar with. Sure, you can get some real bargains in Detroit and rural Mississippi, but that's not where the jobs are and that's why wages have been so severely eroded by housing costs. Rents in areas where the jobs are have followed those costs.

Health care costs aren't just the insurance bite, they're also increasing copays, exclusions, and deductibles that reset every year. It also covers a lot of drugs that used to be prescription and covered but are now OTC and not covered.

The CPI is a one size fits all average that lost its relevance a long time ago, which is why I don't use it.