(The Economic Collapse Blog)—The birth rate in the United States just keeps setting one dismal record after another. In fact, according to the CDC it just dropped to the lowest level ever recorded. We are literally not even replacing ourselves, and that has all sorts of implications for our future. For instance, if we don’t produce enough offspring, there simply will not be enough workers to support Social Security and Medicare and those programs will inevitably collapse. A society with lots of old people and relatively few young people will result in poverty for everyone. So the truth is that the birth rate crisis is going to ultimately affect all of us.
In order for the population of our nation to remain perfectly stable, women need to be giving birth to an average of 2.1 children because not all children make it to adulthood.
Sadly, the birth rate in the United States is now way below replacement level.
The CDC just announced that the birth rate in the U.S. fell below 1.6 children per woman in 2024…
The United States’ total fertility rate fell to a record low in 2024, dipping below 1.6 children per woman, according to new federal data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This marks a significant demographic milestone for a country that once stood apart among developed nations for maintaining a replacement-level birth rate of around 2.1 children per woman.
Our society is not growing.
Our society is dying.
If you go back to the early 1960s, our birth rate was hovering around 3.5 children per woman, but it has been on a downward trend ever since…
In the early 1960s, the U.S. total fertility rate was around 3.5, but plummeted to 1.7 by 1976 after the Baby Boom ended. It gradually rose to 2.1 in 2007 before falling again, aside from a 2014 uptick. The rate in 2023 was 1.621 but inched down in 2024 to 1.599, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
So what has caused such a dramatic shift?
According to CBS News, on average U.S. women are waiting longer to have children, and many are choosing never to have children at all…
The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.
I think that it is important to also point out that many couples simply can’t have children today.
Infertility has been steadily rising among women, and among men sperm counts have been falling precipitously since the 1970s.
If we do not do something about this, eventually most males will simply be unable to produce offspring at all.
For couples that are able to produce babies, many are putting off parenthood due to the rising cost of living.
Most Americans are just barely scraping by from month to month these days, and having a kid is really expensive.
In fact, it takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise a single child to adulthood in the United States…
Raising a child from birth to age 18 in the United States can cost between $200,000 and $310,000, according to some sources. It is even pricier in some states, including Massachusetts, where families can spend up to $650,000.
Child care is a huge part of this: parents can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $21,000 annually on child care.
When I was growing up, my father worked and my mother stayed home with the kids. But that is very rare in America today.
Most women are working, and that is another reason why the birth rate has been falling. It is just very difficult to have a full-time career and to be a full-time mother…
This “shift” includes the fact that most women in high-income countries now work, while it was previously “reasonable to consider having children as a widespread priority for women.”
But they do not attribute this to “whether women work at all after they are married or have had their first child” but rather “the tension between a lifetime career and the way motherhood interrupts or alters that lifetime career progression.”
But even women that don’t work are having fewer children. So how do we explain that?
The answer is actually very simple. Throughout human history, children have been considered to be a blessing to be cherished, but our culture regards them as a burden to be avoided.
We have a very “me-centered” culture, and we now prioritize ourselves over everything else. The idea of “making sacrifices” for your family and your children is anathema in this day and age.
Young people are frequently told that they will “ruin their lives” if they get married too early or have children too early. Our society encourages them to run around and have lots of fun before they “settle down”. Of course many are choosing not to “settle down” at all.
Our movies, our television shows and our music glorify the single lifestyle. As a result, a higher percentage of Americans are single than ever before. But has that made us happier? No, we have a raging loneliness epidemic in this country that I have written about on numerous occasions.
We were designed to love and be loved, and the family unit has always been the basic building block of society all throughout human history.
There is one last cause of our birth rate crisis that I wanted to mention. If we stopped aborting a million babies a year, that would completely solve our birth rate crisis right there. Of course that isn’t going to happen, and that is extremely unfortunate.
Given enough time, if we stay on the road that we are currently on it would lead to demographic collapse…
If trends continue on their present path, demographers warn, there won’t be enough people to work to support society. The extreme labor shortages would lead to stagnation, poverty, and ultimately — in the most dire scenarios — the collapse of civilization itself.
Of course I don’t believe that our society actually has enough time left for such a scenario to play out.
We are committing societal suicide in so many other ways, and the clock is ticking.
Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
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- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
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In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.