Will McIntosh-Whyte: Why inflation can be like ageing

A friend of mine recently remarked that, for the first time, she had started to "feel like an adult". In other words, started to "feel old". It was not related to any specific event. She got married the better part of a decade ago, has two kids, a mortgage and has had a number of careers. But, recently, something has changed. Getting old happens gradually and then it shocks you - like absentmindedly filling a glass until it suddenly overflows. Ageing is not really something you notice on a day-to-day basis. You get up every day and the person in the mirror is identical to the one who was...