Inflation Killed the Penny and it could be Quietly Killing Your Future Too

For more than two centuries, the penny felt timeless. Since 1793, it lived in jars, pockets, and cash registers as a symbol of simplicity and everyday American life. But on November 12, 2025, it was decided that the U.S. Mint would stop making pennies.

What led to end of penny production? INFLATION.

The True Cost Behind the Penny Ending Starting in 2005, the penny production cost climbed to 3.69 cents per coin, making the one cent piece financially unsustainable.

Nothing is untouchable by inflation, not even a piece of metal soaked in history and nostalgia.

If that is the truth, what smart money habits must we change before rising cost of living takes too much away from us?

How Inflation Affects Families in Real Life.

Inflation moves like a thief in the night. You only notice it after the things you once enjoyed have disappeared.

Groceries rise.

Rent rises.

College costs continue to increase.

And families find themselves spending more while feeling like they have less.

But in radical honesty, are we victims of inflation or victims of our own habits?

Some families wait to build a family emergency savings fund or refuse proper protection until illness, layoffs, accidents, or death happen, leaving them scrambling, anxious, depressed, and hopeless.

Others delay saving for college until the acceptance letter arrives with a cost that feels impossible. Many hopes money stress will ease on its own, until the stress begins making decisions for them.

In life, we have two choices: let time limit our options or take control of the change we want to see. Waiting too long is like waiting for a thief to take everything we worked so hard to build.

Yes, inflation is beyond our control, but our habits aren’t. If inflation can end the penny after 232 years of circulation, how can we assume our paychecks are safe, our lifestyle costs will stay the same in twenty years, or change will happen without a goal and a system? Did you know, one hundred dollars today will only be worth fifty-five dollars in twenty years? Or that retiring on four thousand dollars today will require over seven thousand dollars to maintain the same lifestyle by then? Inflation reduces your purchasing power over time and can leave you powerless without strong money habits or long-term financial planning.

This is why The Awesome Team Foundation exists. We help relieve financial pressure on families by teaching long-term financial skills that inflation cannot destroy. We teach students to prepare financially and academically. We help parents take small steps that create long-term financial security for families. We empower communities to make a plan to get ahead instead. Students need college preparation support long before senior year. Parents need tools long before retirement. Families need protection long before emergencies arrive.

Prepare while preparation is still a choice. Build the right habits now or be forced to pay life’s dues later. Change is inevitable. Stress is optional. Inflation is steady. Its impact can be softened. Financial pressure is real. It does not have to break you. A strong financial foundation for families, untouchable by inflation, starts with holistic financial education. Take a quiz to discover your financial genius.

https://www.theawesometeam.org/financialgenius.