How would you feel if you woke up this morning to find out that nearly 7% - 10% of the money in your savings account was being taken by the government? This is what happened to the citizens of Cyprus.
I couldn't sleep so I was reading news articles. The Cyprus story caught my eye along with this article on how much a bestselling novel will bring you nowadays ($12,000).
All types of events can sap financial resources. Historically, people have lost their life-long savings and retirement accounts when their corporation went under, others of us swallowed huge losses to our retirement accounts due to volatility. People lose their possessions to natural disasters, funds have to be diverted to cover unexpected medical conditions. Now, apparently, savings accounts are fair game.
I realize I'm mixing two different subjects, but with many meaningful occupations paying less than ever and a higher risk involved in accumulating wealth due to unrest and government failure, it becomes less about the money and more about enjoying life through non-monetary means. It's unfortunate that writing, programming, giving advice, and writing music now pays less than ever, but this isn't stopping a lot of people who are willing to enrich our lives for free because they understand the value in what they do.
If you're fortunate or skilled/smart enough to have money to invest. Diversify the hell out of it! Here is a great article I've been sitting on about work in the modern job market. Some, but not all, of the reasons coincide with my choice late last year to leave my job, go back to school, and change career paths.
1. We looked out at all the office
buildings around us. “What do you see?” he said. “I don’t know.”
“They’re empty! All the cubicles are empty. The middle class is being
hollowed out.” And I took a closer look. Entire floors were dark. Or
there were floors with one or two cubicles but the rest empty. “It’s all
outsourced, or technology has taken over for the paper shufflers,” he
said. 10 Reasons Why 2013 Will Be The Year You Quit Your Job.
To throw a third, but related, point into the mix. I went to see A Place at the Table with my wife last week. Eating $30+ in theater food while watching families try to survive on $4.45 a day made me question the value of my behavior. From what I saw, most people in the film were in the situation they were in because they made poor decisions. Isn't paying $60 for a movie that will show up on Netflix and some theater food similarly, a poor decision?
