The Monday Read

H2O Edition

Man, there has been a lot of rain this month. Feel like I’m in the rainy season in Thailand.

I like rain, but mainly if I can stay home and listen to it through a partially open window. Sadly that hasn’t been an option recently. Maybe later in the year 🙂

YouTube

Thank you for your support of the RetireJapan YouTube channel 🙂

Our latest video is the first in a new series (RetireJapan for Dummies -short explanations of key concepts in personal finance in Japan). It is a quick financial checkup to give people an idea of where they are with their finances. Check it out and see how many points you get out of 5!

If you have any suggestions for things you’d like to see on our channel, feel free to post them in the comments on this post or on YouTube.

The Forum

The Forum is doing well (21,453 posts so far). Here are the latest active threads:

This week’s books

Finished Will, by Mark Manson. I enjoyed the book, it was inspiring at times, but I am glad I’m not Will Smith! I reckon he should do an extra couple of chapters and re-release the book, the last year or so would make it much more interesting.

  1. None of them involve money: The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age
  2. This podcast looks really interesting: Richer, Wiser, Happier
  3. This kei EV looks great: Nissan Sakura Debuts As $14,000 Electric Kei Car With 112 Miles Of Range
  4. I’m not sure it was ever alive (but I have a track record of being wrong about crypto): Bitcoin is Dead!
  5. Another great post by konichi-value: Should I Invest in Real Estate in Japan? Three Arguments Against
  6. Revisiting this again: Work hard
  7. I am probably not interested enough to do this, but what a great way to prepare to build a home: Designing a New Old Home: Curiosity
  8. Like Japan, but not quite: Walking the World: Seoul (part 1)
  9. I’m only 44, yet this seems horribly familiar: I’m nearly 60. Here’s what I’ve learned about growing old so far
  10. Really interesting to see the similarities with bikes in Japan (YouTube): Why Dutch Bikes are Better (and why you should want one)
  11. Excellent. Read this before choosing a fund: A Marketer’s Guide to Fund Management
  12. I really needed to read this today: The Rut Principle
  13. This Twitter thread is pretty funny
  14. Few changes ahead? Why Kishida Retreated From “New Form of Capitalism”
  15. Yikes. Housing maintenance costs going up: Til death traps
  16. Here and now: In your own time: how to live for today the philosophical way
  17. Along with health, friendship is something I need to work on: THE SIX FORCES THAT FUEL FRIENDSHIP

What do you think? Anything interesting in there?

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