The Debase Brief
Guides & Explainers

Learn

Understand the data behind your purchasing power. No jargon. No financial advice. Just the numbers and what they mean.

Purchasing Power
Why Is My Salary Worth Less Every Year?
You got a raise. Prices still feel worse. Here's the math your employer never shows you.
Money Supply
What Is M2 Money Supply?
The single number that tells you how fast your dollars are being diluted — and why it matters more than CPI.
Inflation
Real Inflation vs CPI
The government says inflation is 2.8%. Your grocery bill disagrees. Here's what's actually happening.
The Score
What Is the Debase Score?
The formula that measures the purchasing power erosion nobody reports — and how to read it.
The Gap
The M2-CPI Gap Explained
M2 says 3.9%. CPI says 2.8%. That 1.1-point gap determines whether your raise was real.
Sound Money
Is Bitcoin an Inflation Hedge?
Bitcoin was built as a response to debasement. Does the data support the narrative?
Sound Money
Gold vs Inflation
For 5,000 years, gold has been humanity's answer to debased currency. Here's the 2026 data.
Salaried Workers
How Inflation Impacts Salaried Workers
Fixed pay. Annual raises. No pricing power. Why salary earners are the most exposed.
Career
How to Negotiate a Raise Using Inflation Data
Your employer uses CPI. You can use M2. The data-driven approach to getting a real raise.
Data Literacy
How to Read CPI Data
CPI reports move markets monthly. Here's how to read them and what they leave out.
The Fed
How the Federal Reserve Creates Money
No printing press. Just keystrokes. The mechanism that dilutes every dollar you earn.
National Debt
National Debt Per Household
$36 trillion is an abstraction. $274,000 per household is a second mortgage you never signed.