"I just moved here from Florida."

That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?

She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."

She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.

I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.

Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.

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The Economic Matrix!!

Ricky

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meitenesrigas said:
All of this and none of you will examine the expat. lifestyle.
Where do you live? I've considered saving up money and retiring early in another country.
 

"How I Made Sure No Woman Ever Friend-Zoned Me Again"

She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.

You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.

She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.

The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.

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Francisco d'Anconia

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j-flex said:
the problem is that the government is too big, all those taxes and shiet, i heard if u get an inheritance you have to pay like 50% of taxes.

people should never rely on the government.

More people should listen to Milton Friedman, friederich hayek, etc.
Think about it this way:
  1. You're taxed when you earn money.
  2. You're taxed on the money you make on investments.
  3. You're taxed when you spend money.
  4. You're taxed when you save money.
  5. In some instances a person is taxed when they are given money.
  6. There's a tax when a person dies.
Yeah, the government has you whenever you use currency in any way.
 

Francisco d'Anconia

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Ricky said:
I did work for Harvard for a while. Just not an economics professor here.

I am concerned about the devaluation of the dollar. Not a good time to travel to Europe, or Canada for that matter.
Everyone is coming to the states since the exchange rate is in their favor.
 

Microphone Fiend

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Obsidian said:
If you want to get rich, which will allow you to truly become hedonistic, you have to save money.
Oh. So I just have to sacrifice my freedom to get it? Sounds kinda counterproductive to me :crazy:
 

Bonhomme

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Hedonism doesn't necessarily have to be all that expensive.
 

"You'll Never Feel READY to Walk Over"

Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.

You've been "getting ready" for two years.

She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.

Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.

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Bonhomme

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In that light, I might add, +2 for hedonism.
 

Obsidian

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Francisco d'Anconia said:
That's earning money. A lot of people mistake the two. Those are also typically the people who spend their lives just saving money because they are afraid of not having any. People who know how to make money don't have that fear.
Living paycheck to paycheck enslaves you to your job. Pook advocates owning a business to make money, but saving (and investing) is essentially the same thing. Stockowners are part owners, and they can still make money through non-entrepreneurial means at the same time. If you live on 75% of your take-home pay and invest the rest, you'll be a wealthy man in 10-20 years. And you'll also be better disciplined.

Once you get enough funds, you can even self-insure yourself instead of buying many minor kinds of insurance (eg, car insurance), and thereby cut down on profits that would otherwise go toward the insurance industry. You would only need to hang onto the more extreme kinds of insurance, like life insurance (until you save enough money that your wife won't need any insurance) or health insurance (you can save money by lowering your premiums and raising your deductibles).

It's people who think the way you do ("don't save") that are requiring our government to bail them out in their old age. "Nah, don't save for retirement. Nah, don't save for an emergency or a rainy day. Your job will always be there for you until the end of time. Or if worse comes to worse, the government will help you." Give me a break.

Hint hint: Social security is a pyramid scheme.

Savings are what allow a country (or an individual) to become wealthier over time. Look at the Solow Growth model if you don't believe me. And America has no savings.
 
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