Post No.: 0529 Fluffystealthkitten says: I’m going to talk about multi-level marketing schemes, pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes so that we can watch out for them because they’re basically scams… Multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes involve the direct … Read More
Post No.: 0512 Furrywisepuppy says: We want to avoid juridical (the same item taxed by multiple states) and economic (multiple people taxed on the same item) double taxation, as well as double non-taxation. For example, a person works … Read More
Post No.: 0507 Furrywisepuppy says: Taxation does garner a lot of negative connotations, tax systems are typically complex, it can appear like we have an adversarial relationship with our governments, and we and the media tend to focus … Read More
Post No.: 0501 Furrywisepuppy says: So your power in a negotiation comes from the strength of your BATNA(s) (‘best alternative to a negotiated agreement’) and the added value you bring to the table relative to others – therefore … Read More
Post No.: 0487 Fluffystealthkitten says: Last time on this topic of understanding a (typical or at least historically traditional) country’s path towards economic development, we looked at how our shared social identities and networks affect public policies (Post … Read More
Post No.: 0476 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Negative externalities’ occur when the production or consumption of something causes any kind of cost to be passed onto a third-party. A classic example is air, water, land, noise or light pollution. Meanwhile, … Read More
Post No.: 0452 Fluffystealthkitten says: We’ll continue on from Post No.: 0408, which demonstrated how power starts to transfer to ordinary citizens from the elites because of taxation. Without the need to collect taxes, there’s no need to … Read More
Post No.: 0442 Furrywisepuppy says: We last looked at reacting to ultimatums in Post No.: 0375. Here, we’ll go through the most common negotiation styles. Competitive – win-lose. Has a high concern for getting what one wants, … Read More
Post No.: 0435 Furrywisepuppy says: Almost every decision in life is a gamble with varying odds – including eating that sandwich, crossing that road or deciding to stay in or go out tonight (even if there wasn’t a … Read More
Post No.: 0426 Furrywisepuppy says: The tax havens, or low-tax jurisdictions, that exist in the world today are all relatively small countries or territories, in terms of geography and population, for a reason – the world wouldn’t be … Read More
Post No.: 0418 Furrywisepuppy says: Here comes another selection of irrational or illogical behaviours when it comes to people and money (the last lot was presented in Post No.: 0389)… People are less willing to give something … Read More
Post No.: 0408 Fluffystealthkitten says: To recap from Post No.: 0403 – to develop a productive economy from scratch, a population first evolves from: 1) anarchy, to 2) exploiting scale economies in violence, then forms 3) a tax … Read More
Post No.: 0403 Fluffystealthkitten says: Economic development and production stalls under anarchies – it needs polities that are centralised and preferably inclusive. Inclusive means that they should serve the interests of everybody within the state, including ordinary citizens. … Read More
Post No.: 0396 Furrywisepuppy says: Every rich person tends to become a ‘businessperson’, no matter how they initially made or inherited their wealth – but that’s only because once someone has enough to live on and has a … Read More
Post No.: 0389 Fluffystealthkitten says: People can behave quite irrationally, particularly when money is involved! Since money was invented rather than is something that’s innately natural – hence the human species didn’t exactly evolve with it in their … Read More
Post No.: 0375 Furrywisepuppy says: So you were acquainted with added value and how this relates to power in negotiations in Post No.: 0319. Now if an ultimatum is given to you, such as, “Do you accept a … Read More
Post No.: 0364 Furrywisepuppy says: Systems, from governments to businesses and other organisations, become corrupt when politicians, businesspeople and other individuals can rationalise bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, etc. as being just like regular quid pro quo trades, bargains … Read More
Post No.: 0345 Furrywisepuppy says: ‘Loss aversion’, which has been briefly mentioned a few times before, is when the negative utility of giving an item up feels greater than the positive utility of acquiring that exact same item. … Read More
Post No.: 0333 Fluffystealthkitten says: Assets normally appreciate faster than wage rises do i.e. the rate of compensation for one’s labour doesn’t usually rise as fast as the value of investment assets that just sit there, often doing … Read More
Post No.: 0319 Fluffystealthkitten says: The art of negotiation is such an interesting topic to both Furrywisepuppy and me, so I will help continue our journey into learning more about it… ‘Added value’ is equal to the … Read More
