3 ms·

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091

by mkr-hn 14y ago

eru 14y ago
Thanks. I never lived in the US. I came to Britain (from Germany) with neither car nor credit history. They let me rent a place, and I never had to buy a car. (Oh, and didn't have to worry about health insurance, either. But that's a slightly different topic.) I wonder how my move to Singapore will play out. But should I ever come to the US, I'll make sure I have plenty of money.
- mkr-hn 14y ago
  I've heard the US a great country to live in if you have plenty of money. It's so-so if you don't.
  - tsotha 14y ago
    Where isn't that true?
    - mkr-hn 14y ago
      This is the only place I have enough perspective on to say anything about.
  - lifeguard 14y ago
    If you know how to hustle in the vernacular sense you can come to the USA penniless and retire wealthy. The USA is a great place if you want/need the rule of law to protect property. Overall, the US civil legal system is not corrupt. In many places in Asia and E. Europe corruption is systemic. It is much more difficult to keep a successful business in such an environment. One example is real estate escrow services with title insurance.
    - mkr-hn 14y ago
      Are you living in a different US? I'm not saying the path to wealth is beyond my horizon, but there's a lot in the way that only exists because previous generations managed things poorly. Someone starting a little further behind would have an exponentially harder time.
      - lifeguard 14y ago
        I am saying the USA is the easiest and safest place on planet earth to start your own business. If you know how to: 1. buy low & sell high 2. defer personal gratification 3. save a % of everything you earn you can gradually grow wealthy. The world is in recession, and the US might be starting to recover. It is a hard market right now. But it will recover and boom (and then crash) again. I have traveled in Russia and Mexico and made friends with regular people who live there. I also studied economics at university. I am thinking about what I am writing here. edit: I was born and raised in the USA Two inspirational books to get started: The Richest Man in Babylon Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business
        mkr-hn 14y ago
        > I am very curious what your specific examples are. The world is moving in the right direction--especially away from suburban nests of roads that require a car, which is highly relevant to my own obstacles--, so I don't see a point in elaborating. > 1. buy low & sell high 2. defer personal gratification 3. save a % of everything you earn What if you start with nothing, in a place with little or no physical mobility? If you're lucky, someone you have access to has connections and is willing to work with you. > I have traveled in Russia and Mexico and made friends with regular people who live there. I also studied economics at university. I am thinking about what I am writing here. How much time have you spent in the US? I'm assuming you don't live here from the way you write.
        lifeguard 14y ago
        Cool. I was worried it was something more generalized.
        14y ago
- lifeguard 14y ago
  Or have some good friends here in advance to help you :-) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4764692 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4764692

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091

by mkr-hn 14y ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4763091

eru 14y ago

Thanks. I never lived in the US. I came to Britain (from Germany) with neither car nor credit history. They let me rent a place, and I never had to buy a car. (Oh, and didn't have to worry about health insurance, either. But that's a slightly different topic.) I wonder how my move to Singapore will play out. But should I ever come to the US, I'll make sure I have plenty of money.

mkr-hn 14y ago
I've heard the US a great country to live in if you have plenty of money. It's so-so if you don't.
- tsotha 14y ago
  Where isn't that true?
  - mkr-hn 14y ago
    This is the only place I have enough perspective on to say anything about.
- lifeguard 14y ago
  If you know how to hustle in the vernacular sense you can come to the USA penniless and retire wealthy. The USA is a great place if you want/need the rule of law to protect property. Overall, the US civil legal system is not corrupt. In many places in Asia and E. Europe corruption is systemic. It is much more difficult to keep a successful business in such an environment. One example is real estate escrow services with title insurance.
  - mkr-hn 14y ago
    Are you living in a different US? I'm not saying the path to wealth is beyond my horizon, but there's a lot in the way that only exists because previous generations managed things poorly. Someone starting a little further behind would have an exponentially harder time.
    - lifeguard 14y ago
      I am saying the USA is the easiest and safest place on planet earth to start your own business. If you know how to: 1. buy low & sell high 2. defer personal gratification 3. save a % of everything you earn you can gradually grow wealthy. The world is in recession, and the US might be starting to recover. It is a hard market right now. But it will recover and boom (and then crash) again. I have traveled in Russia and Mexico and made friends with regular people who live there. I also studied economics at university. I am thinking about what I am writing here. edit: I was born and raised in the USA Two inspirational books to get started: The Richest Man in Babylon Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business
      - mkr-hn 14y ago
        > I am very curious what your specific examples are. The world is moving in the right direction--especially away from suburban nests of roads that require a car, which is highly relevant to my own obstacles--, so I don't see a point in elaborating. > 1. buy low & sell high 2. defer personal gratification 3. save a % of everything you earn What if you start with nothing, in a place with little or no physical mobility? If you're lucky, someone you have access to has connections and is willing to work with you. > I have traveled in Russia and Mexico and made friends with regular people who live there. I also studied economics at university. I am thinking about what I am writing here. How much time have you spent in the US? I'm assuming you don't live here from the way you write.
      - lifeguard 14y ago
        Cool. I was worried it was something more generalized.
      - 14y ago
lifeguard 14y ago
Or have some good friends here in advance to help you :-) http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4764692 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4764692