Work, Taxes and Death

I know this is not really connected with precious metals investing but I want to occasionally post articles and commentary that I think are important for an overall understanding of finances and the world we live in.

This article talks about something I myself think about : Should I try to earn as much money as possible? If I work extremely long hours in a 5 or 6 day week, miss time with my family and friends and neglect projects and interests that I enjoy, is it worth it? It's not just a mathematical calculation for me, it's a question of what is really important in life and what makes one truly happy and fulfilled.

I generally don't like the government and I don't like paying taxes to finance its often stupid and occasionally evil initiatives (I recently saw a commercial for some government organization called the National Fatherhood Institute or something - do we need government to tell us to spend time with our kids?). Maybe if we weren't taxed so much to pay for the National Fatherhood Institute we could spend more time being fathers!

But I digress. I think that one does not need a lot of junk and extravagant expenditures in order to be happy and if we did not chase after money and prestige we might have a better chance at achieving freedom and independence. We need to think outside the box not only when it comes to investing, but also to work, retirement and life.

When Work Doesn't Pay for the Middle Class