When I'm not hard at work on the new OilandGasInvestor.com, which will launch in June, one of my favorite past times is observing how other web sites present energy news. I found a great tool on CNN Money's site today: The Inflation Adjuster. Inflation Calculator Just check out the calculator at the top right of this link. As a "young pup," it amazes me how much the economy has changed just since my birth year. Fifty dollars at that time (which shall remain undisclosed) is now worth $104! According to today's consumer price index (CPI) report for March, retail prices are up 4% over last year. Eeek. That's a hard pill for consumers to swallow. While other factors, like interest rates and food costs, certainly affect inflation, our trusty friend energy goes hand-in-hand with inflation adjustments, seeing as how energy prices have increased by 17% and transportation prices have gone up by 8.2%.