Comments on: Is Your Life Fiction Or Non-Fiction?

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:58:05 +0000

Very good “reality check” you gave here. Like so many of the comments have already stated, happiness cannot be found in the accumulation of things. Money is really just a tool and not the “end” one should seek. Good stuff, keep it coming!

By: QOAS

QOAS — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:01:23 +0000

Just want to let you know I enjoyed this post and all your insights. Let us stop living in a dreamworld and start living in reality.

By: David

David — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:01:23 +0000

Interesting idea Bill – too bad more TV doesn’t do the same!

By: Bill McCollam

Bill McCollam — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:30:17 +0000

I like the fiction – non-fiction angle… it’s an effective way to think about finances. My local paper today had an insight article about a long-running Brazilian soap-opera actually creating long term societal changes (small families, more consumption etc…). There’s lots of fictional life out there!

By: rocketc

rocketc — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:07:44 +0000

I believe that his point of view is sound. I would support and I think he might support legislation that requires banks to purchase their own private deposit insurance – similar to liability insurance that companies and individuals purchase.

Banks would be welcome to insure deposits at whatever level they like – $50K, $100K, $200K. Good, well-run banks would get premium rates from insurers and poor banks with risky investments would get higher rates. Obviously, this places some responsibility on the depositor to do some research . . . you can be sure that I probably would not open an account for $100K in a bank where it was only insured for $50K.

Through FDIC and especially TARP, the government is rewarding risky decisions and poorly run banks, while punishing sound and profitable banks.

TARP has also become a political tool: banks who strongly support certain candidates are getting preferential treatment. Strong gov’t control of the financial system leads to corruption.

By: david

david — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 23:30:17 +0000

rocketc – someone posted this link calling out Ron Paul about his feelings about bank regulation :

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul289.html

Wanted to get your thoughts, I really know nothing about the guy, to be honest.

By: rocketc

rocketc — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:20:10 +0000

Yes, I have been very disappointed in how the party that I vote for the most often has started to behave fiscally.

I still think there are individuals who are opposing these policies and I plan to support them as best as possible. I came withing a hair’s breadth of voting Libertarian last election. Ron Paul, Mark Sanford are a few who are saying the right things about government spending. There are even a few Dems who don’t like all the spending.

By: david

david — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:24:55 +0000

I don’t like it – but since both political parties seem to love giving out money, either to individual or big business, seems that none of us have a choice in the matter.

By: rocketc

rocketc — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:59:53 +0000

This is a good post, David. We all need to live in reality and accept the fact that things will never truly make us happy.

Along the same lines, companies can also live a fiction, but over time, the free market will catch up with them.

How do you feel about the government bailing out big companies who are not living in reality as well as individuals who made financial decisions that were not based in reality? Bankruptcy, foreclosure and layoffs are the penalty for for a fantasy life. When the government shields us from those realities, it perpetuates a myth.

By: goodman

goodman — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:38:27 +0000

This is good advice. TV, Magazine ads and billboards makes us lust for something we cannot afford. It will be up to us to stand up to it, otherwise we will be slaves to credit.