The next RetireJapan workshop
will be in Sendai I am really pleased to announce that the next RetireJapan workshop will be held in Sendai. The local JALT chapter has kindly invited me to speak on January 31st. Details below: JALT Sendai Upcoming Events Sunday Jan 31 2016: Ben Shearon on Personal Finance, Investing, and Retirement for Residents of Japan Date: Sunday January […]
What are you afraid of?
Reasons to save I was talking to a friend last weekend about work (I work more than many people) when suddenly she turned to me and asked “What are you afraid of?” A simple question, but it triggered a powerful response. My first reaction (although I didn’t say so) was to protest hotly that I’m […]
And so it begins
We are all numbers now Just found this notice on the Rakuten Securities website. From next January, all stock dealing accounts must have a ‘My Number’ attached to them. This is, of course, for tax tracking purposes. I presume bank accounts will be next.
My Number 3
Final number… Okay, this is the third and last post on the topic of the My Number (personal identification number) system . I am not a fan of the system as I currently understand it. The UK has a National Insurance number that is used for tax purposes, but doesn’t have photo ID cards with chips, […]
The Snowball
Just get it rolling… Investing is a bit like making a snowball and rolling it down a hill. At first you are doing all the work, picking up snow and packing it on (saving and investing money). After a while, the ball starts to pick up more snow from the ground. You are still picking […]
お金の教養 (Money Education) -book review
お金の教養 (Money Education) is a great little book that contains very simple but very effective advice on how to think about and manage money. It is similar to Your Money or Your Life in that it deals more with money habits and attitudes rather than investing. It’s an easy read (took me about two weeks […]
My Number 2
The numbering This is an eye-opening interview/discussion in English of the My Number system. Well worth an hour of your time. Some key points: 1. the My Number system is much much bigger than I thought it was. Think Big Brother on steroids2. the main purpose is to cut down on tax evasion and asset […]
My Number
… is 13. Where would Japan be without cute mascots that contrast horribly with the products or services they advertise? I received my My Number temporary card in the post the other day, so partly in order to get things straight in my own head I’ll be putting down some thoughts today. Unfortunately I am […]
Stages of Life
A time to sow, and a time to reap Recently I’ve been turning down work I used to enjoy and find profitable, choosing instead to use the time to spend with family or to concentrate on other work. It feels a bit strange, but I guess it is also very natural. There is a time […]
The Nenkin Wheels Grind Slow
Really slow! This post will be most useful to public servants and teachers at public and private universities. Hopefully you are aware that as of October 2015 Kyosai Nenkin has disappeared and everyone formerly enrolled in it are now in Kosei Nenkin instead. This is mainly a negative change (higher premiums and lower payouts) and […]