The Nanny State? Swedish style? Take our poll…
This weekend Simon Kuper wrote an article in the FT about the worries he has managing his finances, which basically stop him ‘smelling the flowers’. Now I’m not a big fan of Mr Kuper after a (to me) incendiary article he wrote a few months ago, over which I’m still spitting feathers*, but, anyway, this time he suggests that over the last 30-40 years, as our disposable income has increased, we have also become a lot more stressed about money.
Maybe we’d all prefer to hand over a bit more of it in taxes, but in return be really reassured that our pensions, healthcare, schools and universities were all paid for. What do you think? Does he have a point?
It was how it was supposed to work, after all – that’s what our tax revenues and National Insurance contributions are supposed to be for – but there’s no doubt we’re heading away from this scenario at a fair rate of knots. There’s a reason why my financial reports are littered with reminders that my clients are ultimately responsible for their financial futures (and I don’t mean as opposed to me, but rather as opposed to the British government).
Read Mr K’s article, and let me know what you think. Then maybe Very Nice Advice will take a lovely research trip to Sweden. Hej då!
* His original article covered the sorrowful lack of training he’d had, as a boy, to be a parent, whereas girls “played with dolls and babysat and went to view new babies.” His conclusion being that:
childcare is probably more frustrating for men because nobody ever socialised us to look after children.
Aaagghh.
I think Simon Kuper has obviously been brought up wrongly – I blame bad parenting. Speaking as a bloke I can honestly say it was ME who had to teach my wife how to change nappies, and not the other way round.
And I also remember 40 years ago when my parents had NO money (and I mean that most sincerely folks) and they were definitely stressed then! Worrying about money is nothing new, and to be honest I’d rather be worrying from a position with more disposable income than I would from a position with less
The trouble with trusting your money to “the government” is that they have a horrible habit of changing every few years. And every one wants to do different things. I guarantee that if you paid much more in taxes and trusted in the state to provide, when you come to retire some smartarse politician with a great pension will decide to take yours away from you.
Personally my retirement planning is based on the assumption that there will be NO state pension for fools like me (i.e. people who make at least an attempt to provide for old age) and all I will have to live on will be my pension, equity release (if any and the government don’t take it), savings and sponging off my children.