dtcwee: The Value of Nothing

Landlording is an ancient profession which has survived almost untouched into modernity. Its antiquity positions it uniquely well to benefit from classical advice on moderation. Many of the hardships of being a landlord are self-inflicted. When I've kicked my own goals, it's often been because I was tempted by one of the seven deadly sins. This series of posts will examine those sins, and their remedies, to moderate the ups and downs of being a landlord. Gluttony - Too much landlording is bad for you

"Trust him to return your deposit?" Landlords need love too, but it's hard to find out there. Searching the web for 'landlord moral support' doesn't return much. The top links are complaints about landlords denying support animals. Et tu Google? As if it wasn't enough to be faced with my own tenant problems, reading about how hated landlords are makes me feel even more isolated. But with close to 1.9 million Australian landlords out there, it would seem that while we're numerous, we're not very vocal. Perhaps the self-reliance that landlording both attracts and requires also means they tend to suffer in silence. There's plenty of practical advice for landlords on the internet, like how to fix water heaters or evict problem tenants, but much of it is area-specific, and being demoralised makes it hard to even act on it. Sometimes I already know what needs to be done. The only thing stopping me is feeling like I'm fighting a losing ba...

Make spending easier, not just cheaper. After two lost decades, Japan's consumer spending isn't going anywhere . You can't leave it at blaming an aging population. Young(er) people still exist in Japan, and older people still need to spend money too. You would think that by now, prices would have fallen to the point where bargains emerge and there's some demand support, if not upward pressure. Things have been pretty sweet for consumers. A bag of rice being the same price in 2016 as in 2006? Bring it! Credit has seldom been cheaper either. The problem is that as reasonable as prices are, it's still difficult to act on them. I'm going to highlight three barriers to spending in Japan: lack of electronic payment options, access to cash, and price display of sales tax.