In 1996, $100 bought about 42 Big Macs.

Had you invested that $100 in the S&P 500 instead and reinvested dividends, today it would buy about 341 Big Macs.

That's more than 8x as many burgers.

The point is not "don't buy burgers."

The point is to know what you're trading for them.

Sometimes spending is worth it. Sometimes it's just giving up future freedom without noticing.