Towards the end of The Matrix Reloaded, Neo finally meets "the Architect" - the creator of the matrix. Neo arrives believing he is "The One," a hero tasked with stopping a historic, unprecedented apocalypse that will end human civilization forever. The Architect then casually says: "This isn't the first time the system has faced total destruction. It’s actually the sixth" As investors, when facing a crash, or even just thinking of one, our biggest concern is that this time it

Preppers An underground bunker dug in the backyard. a Lifetime supply of freeze-dried rations, a gun, and bag full of gold coins. That's what Hollywood movies' "preppers" typically stockpile, preparing for one of many versions of the apocalypse; a nuclear winter, a mad max post-apocalyptic world, or, my personal favorite - the zombie apocalypse. Traditionally, it's assumed that if you do have any cash money, you'll be using it to light a fire. But for the everyday investor, y

or We're not quite there yet This post is a follow-up on a previous post which looked at the new proposed "Riester 2.0", or Altersvorsorgedepot. Since then there's been some updates to the draft so I'm revisiting this topic with updated calculations. You know how sometimes in blogs the writer tells you you should read another post before reading this one? and it's all a bit tiring? not today! here's the original post AND everything that's changed, all in one. exciting, I know

Before you read on, I should start with a disclaimer: this one is a bit hard-core. Reading it might feel like you accidentally ordered a cocktail which has 2 parts complexity, one part pessimism and a sprinkle of what-the-fuck on top. And then you realized you didn't order just one, but a whole bucket. Read on at your own risk. With that being said, let's go. I often write and talk about all the different ways in which the German state pension system is broken. I think by now

or It's happy hour! but the bar is on the titanic... The original "Riester" pension was first introduced in 2002. By now it's safe to say that it failed miserably - high fees and very low returns due to the "guaranteed capital" concept made it an un-attractive investment product. The proposed Altersvorsorgedepot, nicknamed "Riester 2.0", is planned to be launched in 2027 and is meant to address some of those issues: In short, it's a state-incentivized investment portfolio, a