How to survive Hyperinflation

I've blogged before about Zimbabwe's hyperinflation, which is in the millions. We are headed for that here in America, because the Treasury is printing Monopoly money in the name of economic stimulus. Our national debt is going to equal our gross domestic product in just a few years. That's when our debt equals our total output for the whole country. That's like when your personal debt is equal to your income. When the German government created hyperinflation after World War I, a loaf of bread went from a few cents to billions of dollars. You know what came next. Hitler.

Here are some tips for how to survive. The two keys seem to be investing in stocks and non-perishable foods. Ironically, folks in debt benefit the most. So I'm in good shape.

How long before that credit card is paid off?

John Maeda hosts a handy online credit card calculator you can use to figure how long it will take to pay off your credit card if you make only the minimum payment (answer: forever). If you make only the minimum payment, you could end up paying double what you borrowed. You can experiment by plugging in different payment amounts to see how they affect how much interest you end up paying.