$53,000,000,000,000.00 (fifty-three trillion, the TOTAL US debt in the aggregate, all values taken into account) in 2009 has about the same buying power as $3,529,467,725,824.10 (three trillion, five hundred twenty-nine billion, four hundred sixty-seven million, seven hundred twenty-five thousand, eight hundred twenty-four dollars and ten cents) had in 1940.
Annual inflation (a compound amount) over this period was about 4%.
Don't you wish you had invested a hundred bucks in 1940? Or that someone in your family had, in your name?
