Trading Pal Blog

The only people who still do are those who derive their fees from it and the government who legislate in order to raise taxes and avoid paying pensions.

The abysmal birth rate in western countries is a time bomb for superannuation. Hear it loud and clear: there won't be enough working people in twenty year to support an aging population.

Legislation has created a whole industry of fund managers - vultures circling around our nest eggs. The government itself can't help reaching into it for its own purposes. It's such an attractive magnet. Not content with inheritance tax - why not taxing people well before their die (in case they live so long, there won't be anything left to tax...)

Superannuation and retirement are modern ideas - by products of our consumer society. The premise that if you keep quiet and obey the rules all your life you can buy at the store anything that tickles your fancy and have the rest of your retirement to enjoy it. Hogwash! Those days are over...

The superannuation crunch is a consequence of the family break-up. In the past people had respect for their elders. People didn't move too far from each other. Housing wasn't a problem. People were content with the basic necessities being met. People had time to read books, play music, teach children, mind grandchildren, cook for each other and store-up for a rainy day.

Today people live longer but what is their quality of life? Even if you have the money to travel the world - what will you do when you get home? Watch the same movies of your trip over and over again? Why are people bored? Because they are disconnected from each other.

Women pay exorbitant child-minding fees when grandparents would love to mind grandchildren if our housing would allow extended families to live by each other.

Government interference with superannuation means that you lose control of how your savings are managed. Maybe one of the best options is still real-estate. Having one or two extra dwellings and living on the rent you collect will ensure your income is indexed with inflation.

Cyberspace and the benefits of a global village have been a big lie. People still congregate in urban centres because bosses don't trust people working from home. Commuting puts pressure on housing prices. Everything is centralised in large monopolies. Small towns are dying as young people seek work elsewhere. But isn't that where the sea change exodus is taking place?

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