Future Japan is a little worrying

How’s your Monday going? Here are this week’s links for your delectation:
Andrew Hallam’s backstory: do you want to make money or just fool around?
There is hope for all of us: inspiring teacher millionaire interview.
Slightly worrying: many Japanese care homes turning away seniors over lack of guarantor.
Eeek: Japan’s social benefit costs to balloon 50% by fiscal 2040.
I don’t have any: do long-term investors need bonds?
Hope they do this in Japan soon: Nissan is following Tesla into solar power and home batteries.
True dis: financial independence is getting easier every year.
This is exactly why I started RetireJapan: demonstrating conflicts of interest with investment advice.
There is apparently no stopping Brexit: too few to mention.
California millionaire interview.
Please don’t do this: automate your spending with subscription shopping.
A perennial concern: the lump sum vs dollar cost averaging decision.
I’m going to try and get copies of these games: Japanese organizations use board and card games to educate kids on finances.
Pretty tame by RetireJapan standards: this is how your finances should look in your 40s.
An encouraging millionaire interview: I like this guy.
A great ten-minute video: the algebra of happiness.

What do you think? Anything interesting in there?

3 Responses

  1. Re: subscription shopping
    The idea is of course correct, and the author correctly states: “Shopping should always have some friction in it for the sake of your wallet.” They go on to describe how building in a waiting period of a day or a week can be good (more friction).
    But IMO, this advice applies equally well to cards. The best way to add both friction and a waiting period to your spending is cash. ( = stop using plastic)
    Don’t keep much in your pocket, and you’ll have to wait/delay till you do have enough to make that purchase, and if you avoid ATMs and make a trip to your bank you’ll add more friction to the process of getting cash.
    With a card you effectively have your bank account in your wallet (or at least your monthly limit).

  2. Very true. I have seen research that says people spend a lot more (30%) when they pay with cards compared to cash… :O

  3. And that last video, the algebra of happiness, is quite good. I followed that rabbit hole to several other videos of his.
    R = Pi > B (05:46)