[V]

That's the question I've got. Weird question I know. I don't know if there is a trick. We are talking about US $

Here are the choices I've got

136.03
150.03
183.03
198.03

Here's one of the trail I followed

How Much Is That? | EH.Net
What Is Its Relative Value in US Dollars? | EH.Net

Doesn't work with the choices

Any ideas?

[voodoo]

There is no precise answer for that, since the value of the dollar shifts every day. It seems to be about $200, considering the worth of the USD today.

There are so many ways to look at inflation. You could for instance find out what a Big Mac cost in 1986 and extrapolate it to the price today and use that to extrapolate $100 1986 to 2006 dollars. The methods used to calculate inflation are basically just that, but with a lot more factors. Hundreds of factors to balance out most of the irregularities.

Still you'll never get a precise figure. Always +/- 10% at least.

V

[V]

Looks like the answer is 183,03. I got the answer from an economist but he didn't told me why. Will post later upon more informations

[G4ME]

i always like informations, theys makes me smart

[steveismyman]

It depends - if you're into Macintosh Pluses it's around $10K.

But if you're the exact average American 180 sounds about right.

[Big Mac]

Find the inflation stats for the years you're looking at, add them up and then you'll have your percentage loss of the dollar over the period you're looking at.

[steveismyman]

What you're after is the real interest rate over the past 20 years. At an annual 3% that's about US$180.

[Big Mac]

I thought he meant how much is today's $100 in 1986 dollars. That's how I read it.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

I thought he meant how much is today's $100 in 1986 dollars. That's how I read it.

No.

A) What is the value of $100 in 1986 worth today?

As opposed to: B) what is the value of $100 in 1986 dollars,

or

C) what is the value of $100 today in 1986...

Also, the answers only fit with the definition in A.

V

[Eriamjh]

$100 couldn't buy you a VCR in 1986. Today it can. So?

CD players were about $500. Today they are $50 or less. So?

Milk? Gas?

It can be defined in any way possible. Therefore, there is no correct answer without defining the requirements.

[awaspaas]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

$100 couldn't buy you a VCR in 1986. Today it can. So?

CD players were about $500. Today they are $50 or less. So?

Milk? Gas?

It can be defined in any way possible. Therefore, there is no correct answer without defining the requirements.

No, an economics question like this is perfectly specific. It is tied to the actual inflation rates which are calculated from the consumer price index. You would have to look up the inflation rates for the years affected and add them up to get the rate increase over the entire period.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

$100 couldn't buy you a VCR in 1986. Today it can. So?

CD players were about $500. Today they are $50 or less. So?

Milk? Gas?

It can be defined in any way possible. Therefore, there is no correct answer without defining the requirements.

Well milk and gas were basically the same in 1986 as they are today...tech products are not.

[The Godfather]

If I stuck a $100 bill under my mattress in 1986 and attempted to retrieve it today, it would still be $100.

If I had bought AAPL shares, they'd be worth over 4 times that.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by awaspaas

No, an economics question like this is perfectly specific. It is tied to the actual inflation rates which are calculated from the consumer price index. You would have to look up the inflation rates for the years affected and add them up to get the rate increase over the entire period.

Or you could use the CPI Calculator at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and find that $100 in 1986 has the buying power of $186 today.

[awaspaas]

Neat, that's exactly what the CPI Calculator does.