SEARCH
If you are a taxpayer in the Land of the Free, you may have recently received a love letter from the Social Security Administration that went something like this: “Dear [Medieval serf paying into an insolvent pension fund]:” (OK I added that part myself) “Starting in August 2016, Social Security is adding a
It was only a matter of time. In the wake of multiple terror attacks, the European Commission is moving towards creating a mandatory, centralized database of Bitcoin ownership. Of course, their official reason is that Bitcoin is being used to finance terrorism. So for everyone’s safety and security they need even more authority
It all started with 9/11. After the twin towers fell in 2001, the US government sprang into action to wage the global war on terrorism. Within days following the attack, Congress pushed through the USA PATRIOT Act, providing unprecedented authority to the US federal government. The legislation also gave several government agencies sweeping
Another 508 people renounced their US citizenship last quarter according to documents published this morning by the Internal Revenue Service. This brings the total number of US ‘renunciants’ under the Obama administration to 17,359. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when a government’s tax policy is so oppressive that it drives people
According to Jacques Necker, everything was just fine. The year was 1781, and Necker, France’s finance minister, had just published a report called Compte Rendu au Roi, an accounting of French public finances. Necker’s report showed that, despite extraordinary public services and military spending, France had a net credit position of +10 million
Have you lost that loving feeling? If so, the United States federal government might just be able to help. Before you swipe right on Tinder or update that eHarmony account, consider instead taking a quick trip out of the country. Because on your way back home into the Land of the Free, US
It was only a few weeks ago that I told you about the government’s annual report on Social Security. It was a veritable death sentence for the program. The Board of Trustees for Social Security (which includes the US Treasury Secretary) wrote that major parts of the program have already run out of
I’ll be brutally honest– I’m so tired right now I can barely write this email. For the past five days I’ve been going on almost no sleep. I’ve been on my feet almost all day, every day, with an absolutely sadistic schedule trying to cram a year’s worth of education into a single
I’m excited. Tomorrow starts our summer Liberty & Entrepreneurship camp, an annual event that our foundation sponsors in which some of my most accomplished friends and I mentor young students from all over the world. This year we have students from dozens of countries, places like Indonesia, Ecuador, Nigeria, Brazil, New Zealand, Ukraine,
Now it’s $13 trillion. That’s the total amount of government bonds in the world that have negative yields, according to calculations published last week by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Given that there were almost zero negative-yielding bonds just two years ago, the rise to $13 trillion is incredible. In February 2015, the
Two months ago I was with the former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, at his home outside of Medellin. He was telling me some hilarious stories about his interactions in the early 2000s with Hugo Chavez, who had recently seized power in Venezuela. Chavez was a fanatic socialist. He believed so strongly in
In early 1870, the Kingdom of Prussia and French Empire were about to go to war. It was one of countless conflicts between the dozens of European kingdoms and empires throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and this one was over before it even started. Prussia’s military might was legendary. They had recently
[Editor’s note: Tim Price, London-based wealth manager, is filling in for Simon today.] It’s ironic that some of the most honest words to come out of a politician’s mouth were, “When it becomes serious you have to lie.” That was a quote from Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of
19-year old Hannah Cohen should have been partying. Living with multiple disabilities like paralysis, partial deafness, and blindness in one eye, Hannah also suffers from a brain tumor. And five days ago, she and her mother were traveling home via Memphis International Airport to celebrate the end of her cancer treatment with the
[Editor’s note: Check out Simon’s video podcast of today’s Notes.] In the late 12th century while the rest of Europe was choking on feudalism, Venice was rapidly becoming the most advanced power on the continent. At that point Venice had already created a free society where anyone, regardless of origin or class, could work
