Don't Spend That Money
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What is this?

Ever wonder how much time you actually spend working for that latest gadget? Now you can know for sure.

True Cost Calculator

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Results

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Cost in months of working

Cost in weeks of working

Cost in days of working

Cost in hours* of working

Value if invested in S&P500* 5 Years

Value if invested in S&P500* 10 Years

Value if invested in S&P500* 20 Years

Value if invested in S&P500* 30 Years

5 Years Invested Short Term Bonds / Cash*

10 Years Invested Short Term Bonds / Cash*

20 Years Invested Short Term Bonds / Cash*

30 Years Invested Short Term Bonds / Cash*

5 Years Invested Intermediate Term Bonds*

10 Years Invested Intermediate Term Bonds*

20 Years Invested Intermediate Term Bonds*

30 Years Invested Intermediate Term Bonds*

About

Why do this?

Economists often discuss things (wages, gdp, interest rates) in real terms. This is where the thing being discussed is adjusted to inflation, but people usually don't think in terms of opportunity costs. Now you can!

What is opportunity cost? The textbook definition from Google is: "the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen".

Opportunity Cost: Investing

Every dollar you spend today is a dollar less you have to spend tomorrow. In the context of investments every dollar you spend is a dollar you cannot spent or invest tomorrow.

This site will show you what a purchase historically* would have been worth if invested over certain time frames in different assets. The point of this is not to recommend one or any investment, just to illustrate the possible opportunity costs of spending today.

Opportunity Cost: Working

Additionally if you work for a living every dollar you spend has a different type of real cost: your time.

Assuming all your financial wealth comes from working it is possible to calculate exactly how much time it takes for you to earn enough to buy something. The results may surprise you!

Contact

Contact me

Click here to reveal the original author's / website maintainer's email address.

Disclaimer

Obligatory Disclaimer

By accessing this website you agree to all of the following:

DontSpendThatMoney.com is not a Registered Investment Advisor, Broker/Dealer, Financial Analyst, Financial Bank, Securities Broker or Financial Planner. The Information on the Site is provided for information purposes only. The Information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other advice, is general in nature and not specific to you. Before using DontSpendThatMoney.com’s information to make an investment decision, you should seek the advice of a qualified and registered securities professional and undertake your own due diligence. None of the information on our Site is intended as investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as a recommendation, endorsement, or sponsorship of any security, Company, or fund. DontSpendThatMoney.com, it's owners, and contributors are not responsible for any investment decision made by you. You are responsible for your own investment research and investment decisions.

This website is free open source software. By accessing this website you agree with the license found here.

Source of historical geometric returns

Data used for return assumptions can be found here.

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