Keeping tabs on everything going on here in the U.S. and globally, I think we can all agree this country isn't headed in a good direction with the same sentiment being felt in other developed countries as well.
Whether or not the whole "Great Reset" is legitimate is a whole other topic to discuss but given everything I've seen since COVID struck nearly a year ago and seeing that there are many individuals in powerful positions across the world pandering to the "Great Reset" and with Grandpa Joe's policies here in the U.S., this has put me on the defensive.
As a result, I'm finding that I'm putting many things I had planned on hold which I'm not happy with. This year was supposed to be one where I took the foot off the gas and started to enjoy the work I've put in after many years having achieved certain financial milestones.
I had plans of buying a house, plans of getting more involved with the sport I'm in (competitive horseback riding), perhaps even starting to look to for a serious relationship.
I'm leery of buying a house now as a nice place here will hit me with very high property tax of which I can only assume will go up under the new regime. I'm also concerned as to what is to become of this state (CA). I love the place but the people, laws, taxes, and dictators are absolutely horrid and only get worse. I'm here because of family businesses and looking after my parents so leaving isn't an option right now, it's either rent or buy.
With regards to hobbies or relationships, I feel getting more serious with these involves a greater degree of responsibility (and more physical things to take care of) at a time when I'm already looking out for myself and my parents.
While the family businesses are doing well, I'm finding myself feeling the need to start another business (preferably digital) and/or invest more broadly to hedge against lockdowns, social unrest, etc.
Long post but in general, I'm very tense/defensive about the future and whether or not that is warranted is a whole other discussion but you catch my drift.
Anyone else feel the same? Have any of you put off life decisions, actions, etc. as a result of what has happened and is yet to come?
I'm optimistic.
As someone who works in banking, America becoming an opaque neoliberal oligarchy run by hedge funds and tech companies will be great for my wallet, but just about everything else that makes a civilization worth being will suffer. The elites are out for blood now that they know they can get away with just about anything. Get ready for Patriot Act 2.0 to get rammed up your ass.
Oh come the fuck on, were really about to do this doom and gloom stuff every single day for the next 4 years??
If you can’t make money and prosper in this country, THATS ON YOU PLAYA
Making money now is one thing. Making money in what the country is headed towards is a whole other thing.
like most of my posts, this is rambling stream of consciousness so if anything needs further explaining let me know
I've spent the past 11 months disconnecting from things that aren't adding value to my life and it helped a lot. among these are politics, social media, toxic relationships (friends and family), and so on. of course I could say all of the things covid took from me like some travels (Europe mostly). there's a lot of potential negatives out there with regard to politics, social issues, and things that one cannot do, but if that's all you focus on, you're kinda missing the point of life. those things are outside of your control mostly, so why succumb to that as if it's punishment? rather, look at it like this: I can't change X, but let me see how much I can do within the confines of X.
some examples - if you're worried about buying property tax, you're probably looking at too much house. if your housing situation depends upon a certain high income and current property tax rates to make your budget work, you should rethink things and only buy as much house as you can very comfortably afford if other inevitable shocks come (taxes, income, rates, etc.). and on your parents and hobbies, what else is in your life that's taking time away? I did this exercise in 2020 when I felt strained - I wrote down (by hand, I think this matters) everything I wanted to accomplish and just found out through the process of writing what was actually important. and then rather than trying to backfit the rest of my schedule with these suddenly high priorities, I cut out bullshit that was not a priority.
unless all 24 hours of your day are sleeping, helping your parents, and working, you've got wiggle room. if you're that stretched, you need to look into something that will free up time. maybe it's a part time caregiver, a consultant to streamline things at the business, idk, but this doesn't sound to me like a Covid or Biden problem, it sounds like a problem with your current setup, and goodness knows we've all been there in some way.
I have no idea when things will go back to normal, so instead of postponing anything, I've arranged my life in such a way that I don't have to. sure, I can't do the exact things I'd planned on like going to Europe or bar hopping in Manhattan, but I can do other enjoyable things that fill that void.
and finally, I've known quite a few people who spent their whole lives putting stuff off because of this or that and the constant refrain I hear is "I wish I hadn't." so don't be reckless, but don't wait either.
Always great hearing from you brofessor!
I understand what you're saying. I'm pretty disconnected from social media, and I've eliminated many people from my life over the past few years who simply weren't contributing positively to my life in any way. I'm a big fan of history, however, and I think that is where my source of concern is coming from. It's not hard to look back on history and see that much of what is happening now has happened before and the end result was not good, which ultimately connects to politics. But like you said, it all goes back to what I can vs. can't control.
Great point on having a setup problem. That is most certainly an issue and striking a better balance and freeing up time would probably help in alleviating the stress and seeing things more clearly.
As to your last paragraph, that's basically me. I spent my 20's working like crazy and putting things off whilst telling myself that when I get to point X, I can finally enjoy all those things. Point X kept getting pushed until now, yet here I am pushing it further into the future. I regret a lot from my 20s; I suppose it's time I start learning from those years but old habits die hard.
on that first part, it's always been that way. you sound like you're not far from me in age, so go back to what finance bros were talking about in 2011 when our debt rating got downgraded on the backs of Obamacare, I heard similar socialist refrains. I also heard similar panic during the Bush years about neverending war and the subsequent catastrophes that could arise. we're definitely more tense politically as a country, but since I've disconnected, I've not noticed that same tension in the real world.
on the setup problem, the "via negativa" strategy always worked best for me. ask yourself what you can live without, and then cut out various things until you feel some more wiggle room.
on point 3 amen, brother, I feel that. nose to the grindstone for years and years and then you wake up in your 30s and you're like "but I'm not ready yet!" and here's what I'll say there - hold your nose and just do it. whatever "it" is, if that's creating a dating profile, if that's entering an equestrian competition, or taking a vacation and then hiring a caregiver for your parents in your absence. if you've worked out that what you're doing isn't illogical or harmful, then the only thing preventing you is inertia.
nah no not at all. Always been a jump in feet first and figure it out trial by fire type dude. Grew my bidness, had a baby, made a lot of athletic progress during covid. Getting on gear now. Stress tolerance and drive gonna go thru da roof and Imma do more shit. Might not be in this country in 5-10 years tho
what brofess said - people always got an excuse on dat analysis by paralysis ish
cant let no bitchass viri keep you down
cant let da man keep ya down!
stayin ahead of the curve. smooth as a baby seal's ass. hard as a math problem. harder. better. faster. stronger.
boom tsk boom tsk boom tsk
Are you doing straight T?
and anavar
Well said man, hard to kill!
The Great Reset is an evil plan created by the Elites to create one world Government where they own everything but you own nothing, but you're suppose to be happy because now there's no property.
Unfortunately, many people on this forum think the Great Reset will benefit them since they work on Wall Street with the Elites and Globalists.
Newsflash, as George Carlin said "Its a big club and you ain't in it." The Liberals on this forum will soon learn the sad reality that they aren't as important as what they thought. They will be treated as losers like the rest of society if the Great Reset succeeds.
What exactly are the plans for this "Great Reset"?. All I can find are bunch of vague objectives that some marketing person wrote...
If someone tells you that he's going to fix problems but doesn't tell you how, it's probably (definitely) a sham. Since the governments are involved it's probably another ploy to grab more power and oppress the masses by promising "equality" and " sustainability".
That being said, I do agree with the "gist" of this Great Reset. Climate change should probably be mitigated, stronger social safety nets (without creating a welfare state) are needed, and businesses need to become more responsible by adding ethics and communal prosperity as part of their objectives. Thing is, only 1 of those 3 requires a government.
Sadly, whenever the government promises you something, the exact opposite happens....
Well the guy orchestrating the whole thing wrote a book about it so they're not being discreet about anything but that's basically it: a ploy to grab more power and oppress the masses by promising "equality" and " sustainability". As you eluded to though, when government gets involved, rarely do good things happen.
I have spent alot of free time and money building a car. I put 4 years of research and wrench time into my car in the last 11 months and I am all the more happy about it - simply because I had the down time. It's hard to do hobbies when the world seemed to be burning or exploding day in and day out over the last year but it has been a great escape. Getting into a hobby that has no connections back to finance, economics, or politics is my advice.
hi, I built several cars in my life and know how much research, effort, conflicts, money, and sweat it takes. if you don't mind, would you send me a PM to your build thread or website - if you have one? I am always keen to learn from others. if you are on a forum or reddit or something where you are already listing stuff, I would really like to take a look.
what car is it?
thanks!
Something on my bucket list is restoring a 60's muscle car. Prices have skyrocketed though, even rolling frames are commanding high prices.
time to get a therapist
Haha maybe man.
It looks like some form of fear is getting through and I think that it is not necessarily on a rational level, but rather subconscious. The constant massage of media, the doom and gloom news and forecasts, ups and downs.
I live in Central Europe and when I follow news about US realize then the overall tone / mood of news is suggesting chaos, destabilisation, systemic issues, racial issues, gender issues, money issues, inflation, hyperinflation, Musk, Bezos, riots, BidenVsTrump(lol), California exodus (srsly?), bla bla bla.... it is too much.
You write about plans - do you know that when you want to make God smile then you tell him your plans for the future?
Manage risk, but do not get too (hysterically) risk averse.
Last but not least, if you will bankrupt I will let you sleep on my couch - so no worries, you have a backup plan now.
Pretty much all news here is horrid. I don't watch the news put pick up info here and there from studying the markets and looking at the past and then put the pieces together from there. I can't imagine regularly reading mainstream news, it's most certainly constant doom and gloom.
Haha thank you for the couch accommodations!
The mainstream media's job is a craft a narrative... what kind of narrative have we been force-fed for the last year?
Nothing but fear mongering, class warfare, economic destruction, etc.
Aspernatur iusto ipsa quam. Aperiam odit consequuntur molestiae alias et quasi autem. Rem sint vitae aut nesciunt asperiores facilis iusto. Ipsum et est sed sit quam quidem voluptas. Et sit et in voluptas. Aperiam dolores dolorem mollitia quis quia et sapiente.
Aut omnis unde corrupti laudantium. Nostrum pariatur et quo cum saepe.
Suscipit est numquam temporibus voluptatem. Odio ab ut blanditiis facere corporis eaque eligendi. Sequi dolores et quibusdam sit quibusdam qui. Velit veniam ut earum qui pariatur mollitia dolores. Sequi fuga in sed saepe sed. Est est enim praesentium.
Quibusdam voluptatem et deleniti unde id repudiandae qui. Voluptatem neque aut minima id cum cum quasi beatae. Sed quae quos minus modi omnis consequuntur sed recusandae. Perspiciatis sapiente qui deserunt consequatur autem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Vero assumenda sit nihil perferendis. Vero excepturi et autem ipsam. Nulla quo repudiandae similique nulla in. In id blanditiis dicta quia incidunt ut minus quia.
Eos in provident voluptate natus facere et. Voluptas aliquam praesentium itaque iure. Amet molestias corporis aperiam aspernatur cumque mollitia natus molestiae. Eligendi in incidunt suscipit quia nostrum earum eos suscipit.
Inventore perspiciatis mollitia ex perspiciatis id dignissimos. Hic qui quidem officiis aut maxime expedita excepturi rem. Dolores dolorem est voluptatem nisi in totam ea. Est praesentium odio eum velit.