Comments on: Cheapest Place in the World to Live is the US

By: John

John — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:16:46 +0000

Is this a turning of the social tide ?? The "dumbing down and the fattening up" of America has been going on too long., (Is this you ?). The sinking Dollar will allow US manufacturing to strengthen; and a new generation to look about it at what has become of that great land and its’ energetic people. The keen eyed will find new opportunities; Be one of them; If you’re smart enough., We are one humanity., Only our skills are different….

By: Balsaboy

Balsaboy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:55:50 +0000

Joe, go read Bood, Tears, and Folly.

By: Biker Pete, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Biker Pete, Vancouver, B.C., Canada — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:47:14 +0000

Probably FSA, Greg. Discovering the extent of trailing commissions on super was enough of a shock, but the huge commissions for 'recommended' agroforestry schemes might constitute criminal conduct, particularly where advisors themselves bailed just days before those schemes went under... . Ignorance of clients' specific financial options indicates lack of care, but wilfully withholding critical information from those clients to feather one's own nest is unethical and unsustainable. Glad we dispensed with both these F A s. (And the initials do not stand for Financial Advisor, in this instance.... )

By: Pete

Pete — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:40:15 +0000

Richo: "registering for patents is just one measure of innovation and research"

Good point. Perhaps patents growth actually points more towards the level of 'speculation' or available capital in that region?

And the fact that you can patent a lot of things (many that may not even require innovation?) may say more about the convoluted and litigious US legal system than it does about innovation.

By: Richo

Richo — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:04:55 +0000

Jake, registering for patents is just one measure of innovation and research.
Much of the activity is frivolous and it can be more related to financial motivations than the undelying rate of innovations.
Still the current trends are interesting.

By: Greg Atkinson

Greg Atkinson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:54:55 +0000

Biker Pete I couldn't agree with you more. I would go further and say that in many cases the term "Financial Planner/Advisor" is almost misleading and a better term would be "Financial Product Salesperson" or maybe "Financial Sales Agent"?

By: Biker Pete, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Biker Pete, Vancouver, B.C., Canada — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:31:04 +0000

"As you can imagine my Accountants chances of retaining my business are squat." Joe, 25/09/09. Sorry to learn of your negative experiences with accountants, Joe. Had we followed our two FAs' advice we'd be many hundreds of thousands of dollars behind. We had to 'let both go' well before the crash. As I've said earlier, we only made real progress by creating our own list of questions... and researching for ourselves... testing the 'answers' as we progressed. Too many times we entrust advisors to determine what's 'best for us' (as opposed to what's 'best for them'.) It's all about OPM. Sadly, _no-one_ cares as much about your own money as you do... .

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:25:18 +0000

The current 'intelligentsia' of the US is not at all meritocratic, and therefore is not as intelligent is that which exists in Europe, for example.

This has got to be the most misleading statement of a cadre of rubbish. The europeans are still much more class-oriented in both political appointees and business leaders. Granted, world economic opportunities are leveling the playing field, but it is Indian and Chinese scientists, not European ones, applying for more patents.

Massachusetts, as a state, despite the downturn, churned out more patents in 2008 than did the United Kingdom. Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota churned out as many as Germany.

Market forces are an amazing thing. Mr Obama will prove once and for all that socialism is not the answer - this time to an entire generation of college-indoctrinated (oops, educated)young Americans.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:59:50 +0000

Fair enough, Joe. But you made me think a lot about your point about superiority on economic terms. Let's ask the question about today. Which economy is 'superior', the US or the collective economies of the EU, or the UK, or China, or the Asian region? I think the answer is not at all obvious.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:41:10 +0000

Rag,

That last point would be legitimate if Australia didn't consider itself and act like a colony. More a 53rd State these days than an external English county, but, nonetheless Australia ties itself to mother nation skirt strings.

Can't dispute the Engineering excellence of German cars, and will happily agree they are superior to British cars (not that there are many left now). I would not be so stereotypical Dan as to claim all British people are lazy. This is not my experience which if I were asked to explain the divergence in attitudes between Australian and British workers, is that Australian's own nothing, it is always someone elses problem, where as Brits will own and seek to resolve problems.

This is true in all aspects of Australian society.

An example.

My missus just lost access to two years of Government super co-contributions because between our accountants, her employers H.R/Payroll department, and US, it was (apparently) our responsibility to know which type (pre or post tax) contributions were to be made even though both our accountants and the H.R/Payroll department were instructed as to the reason (the co-contributions) behind her wish to sacrifice into her super.

No sense of joined up thinking here only of attempting to exhaust the minimum amount of effort for the maximum gain and sod the needs of the customer. A very U.S capitalist attitude and not a recipe for success.
As you can imagine my Accountants chances of retaining my business are squat.