Marius Schober

Embracing the Mysteries, Unveiling the Realities

  • As I am writing this, an ambulance is standing in front of the door of our home. They are searching for house #129, but are unable to locate it. Google Maps does not help, and it needed the assistance of several locals and three phone calls until they were now able to find the direction.

    This just showed how important it is that we introduce new ways to communicate locations with each other. One of this is what3words. With what3words, every location on earth can be located with three unique words. Instead of street names, house numbers and zip codes, we can use three words, such as /explorer.chart.cheaply, to locate each other faster and easier than ever before.

    While for the ambulance, an app which transmits the geolocation might be the first thought, for many older people simply remembering “their” three words can save their lives in those scenarios. What is holding us back from using what3words?

  • Decide to Live

    Every day, you make multiple decisions. How you make those decisions will define how your life will work out. Obviously, we all want to make the “right” decision. But what exactly is the “right decision”? How does one define right?

    How you define right depends a lot on our environment. In our Western world, this usually means we make decisions towards a successful life. Society tells us, a successful life is a secure life. For example: being a manager, lawyer, or a dentist. Not because it is a job which truly and from all of our heart fulfills us, but only for the reason of having a well paying job. Congratulations, do this, and you will be regarded as a rightful member of society.

    But damn, we have been fooled! Instead of living a successful life, we are actually living a quiet life of desperation. The truth is, while we’ve optimized our entire life towards a successful life, we missed to actually live.

    A successful life, as defined by society, is a secure and easy life. By definition, a secure and easy life is void of any adventure, void of any life.

    We all have been granted a magical life here on earth. To truly utilize and appreciate this life, we truly have to live. And living, by definition, is not secure nor easy. Living is full of adventure. It is full of unknowns.

    If we try to make the right decision towards a successful and secure life – as defined by our society – we will miss to live.

    Always striving for the “right” decision necessarily narrows your decisions towards the already known, the proven, the right way of doing things. Doing so will work most of the time. Eventually, you’ll live a successful, secure life.

    But life happens in the unknown. We start to live when we choose heart over mind, adventure over security, the unknown over the known.

    When deciding, never decide for the easy option. Don’t decide for the deceptively right option which leads to a successful and secure life (as defined by your family and society). Instead, always decide for the uncomfortable option. The unknown option. Choose the option of adventure. Go for the option which gives you a strange mixed feeling of unease and excitement at the same time.

    By going for the uneasy, uncomfortable, unknown option, you will do things you’ve never done before. You will do things nobody has ever done before. You will fail. And you will succeed. Most importantly, you will feel alive.

    If – from now on – you optimize and make all your decision so that you live an exciting life full of adventure, unknowns, new and uncomfortable situations, you will truly live life.

  • Hay una forma sencilla de apoyar a las familias – especialmente a las madres – y garantizar a las madres una jubilación segura: 0 % de impuesto sobre la renta con el 30 % de los ingresos personales de la madre abonados a un fondo de pensiones personal.

    En muchos países, los ingresos de las madres que trabajan a tiempo parcial ya se encuentran en un tramo impositivo preferente. Esto significa que los ingresos procedentes del trabajo a tiempo parcial o de un trabajo significativamente menos remunerado se gravan menos. No obstante, el impacto de la fiscalidad sobre los ingresos a tiempo parcial sigue siendo significativo y notable.

    Para apoyar a las madres – hoy y más tarde durante la jubilación – deberíamos eliminar el impuesto sobre la renta de los ingresos a tiempo parcial de las madres. De este modo, las madres ganan en bruto por el neto, lo que hace que el trabajo a tiempo parcial sea tan atractivo como el trabajo a tiempo completo.

    Pero en lugar de pagar el 100 % de los ingresos brutos, una parte de los mismos se invierte en un fondo de pensiones personal obligatorio. De este modo, durante los 18-22 años de maternidad con trabajo a tiempo parcial, las madres van acumulando una pensión personal de la que pueden vivir durante la jubilación. El fondo debe estar vinculado personalmente a la madre, por lo que la jubilación es completamente independiente de su marido.

    $258.271,60

    Supongamos que una madre trabaja a tiempo parcial y gana actualmente 1.750 dólares brutos. En lugar de gravar estos ingresos, el 30 % de los mismos se ingresa en un fondo de pensiones personal vinculado a la madre. Esto equivale a una suma de ahorro mensual de 525 dólares. Suponiendo que la madre tenga dos hijos y trabaje a tiempo parcial durante 20 años mientras los cría hasta los 18 años. Durante este tiempo, sus ahorros se acumulan a un tipo de interés supuesto del 1 % hasta alcanzar los 138.719,73 dólares. Con un 7 % de rendimiento de la inversión -una regla general para los fondos de pensiones- la madre tiene acceso a un fondo de pensiones de 258.271,60 dólares.

    Si suponemos que la madre sigue trabajando a tiempo parcial durante otros 15 años después de que los niños hayan crecido, y sigue aportando 200 dólares al mes al fondo de pensiones con un rendimiento medio del 7 % anual, la madre se jubila con 772.887,49 dólares.

    Apoyo a las madres solteras

    Las madres solteras deberían ser tenidas en cuenta por separado. Las cotizaciones mensuales podrían reducirse al 15 % y el Estado aportaría el 50 % restante o la cantidad necesaria para alcanzar un importe mínimo de ahorro definido de 400 dólares al mes. Las madres solteras notarán el efecto inmediatamente en su cuenta bancaria. Simultáneamente, erradicamos la pobreza en la vejez para las madres solteras.

    Nota: Evidentemente, debería aplicarse lo mismo si las madres prefieren trabajar a tiempo completo y los padres a tiempo parcial, etc.

  • Es gibt eine einfache Möglichkeit, Familien – insbesondere Mütter – zu unterstützen und Müttern einen sicheren Ruhestand zu garantieren: 0 % Einkommenssteuer bei gleichzeitiger Einzahlung von 30 % des persönlichen Einkommens der Mutter in einen personenbezogenen Rentenfonds.

    In vielen Ländern ist das Einkommen von Müttern, die Teilzeit arbeiten, bereits in einer bevorzugten Steuerklasse. Das bedeutet, dass das Einkommen aus der Teilzeitbeschäftigung oder einer deutlich geringer bezahlten Tätigkeit weniger besteuert wird. Dennoch sind die Auswirkungen der Besteuerung eines Teilzeiteinkommens immer noch erheblich und spürbar.

    Um Mütter zu unterstützen – heute und später im Ruhestand – sollten wir die Einkommenssteuer auf den Teilzeitverdienst von Müttern abschaffen. Auf diese Weise verdienen Mütter brutto für netto, was Teilzeitarbeit genauso attraktiv macht wie Vollzeitarbeit.

    Anstatt jedoch 100 % des Bruttoeinkommens auszuzahlen, wird ein Teil des Einkommens in einen obligatorischen personenbezogenen Rentenfonds investiert. Auf diese Weise bauen die Mütter in den 18 bis 22 Jahren der Mutterschaft mit Teilzeitarbeit eine persönliche Rente auf, von der sie im Ruhestand leben können. Der Fonds sollte persönlich an die Mutter gebunden sein, sodass der Ruhestand völlig unabhängig von ihrem Ehemann ist.

    258.271,60 €

    Nehmen wir an, eine Mutter arbeitet in Teilzeit und verdient derzeit 1.750 Euro brutto. Statt dieses Einkommen zu versteuern, werden 30 % davon in einen persönlichen Rentenfonds eingezahlt, der an die Mutter gebunden ist. Dies entspricht einem monatlichen Sparbetrag von 525 €. Angenommen, die Mutter hat zwei Kinder und arbeitet 20 Jahre lang in Teilzeit, während sie die Kinder bis zum Alter von 18 Jahren erzieht. In dieser Zeit wachsen ihre Ersparnisse bei einem angenommenen Zinssatz von 1 % auf 138.719,73 € an. Bei einer Rendite von 7 % – eine Faustregel für Pensionsfonds – hat die Mutter Zugang zu einem Pensionsfonds von 258.271,60 €.

    Wenn wir davon ausgehen, dass die Mutter noch weitere 15 Jahre in Teilzeit arbeitet, nachdem die Kinder erwachsen sind, und weiterhin 200 Euro pro Monat in die Rentenkasse einzahlt, mit einer durchschnittlichen Rendite von 7 % pro Jahr, geht die Mutter mit 772.887,49 Euro in Rente.

    Unterstützung für alleinerziehende Mütter

    Alleinerziehende Mütter sollten gesondert berücksichtigt werden. Die monatlichen Beiträge könnten auf z. B. 15 % gesenkt werden, und der Staat würde die verbleibenden 50 % oder jeden anderen Betrag beisteuern, der erforderlich ist, um einen festgelegten Mindestsparbetrag von z. B. 400 Euro pro Monat zu erreichen. Alleinerziehende Mütter werden den Effekt sofort auf ihrem Bankkonto spüren. Gleichzeitig beseitigen wir die Altersarmut für alleinerziehende Mütter.

    Anmerkung: Das Gleiche gilt natürlich auch, wenn Mütter es vorziehen, Vollzeit zu arbeiten, und Väter Teilzeit usw.

  • There is a simple way to support families – especially mothers – and guarantee mothers a secure retirement: 0% income tax with 30% of the personal income of the mother paid into a personal pension fund.

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  • We are entering the third week of 2022. I have reflected on my personal progress as well as the progress of Valenus. I came to the conclusion that a course correction and reorientation is necessary. Let’s dive into where I want to go, the reasons, and how this reorientation will look like.

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  • Today’s morning started different from expected. As I unconsciously opened my Amazon app, I saw a notification which informed me of changes on my ‘wish list’. The MacBook Pro 16’ suddenly was €2.388. This price was too good to be true (and ignored) so I pressed “buy”.

    After this impulse buy, I somehow thought: “Marius, no matter what, this still is a lot of money. Are you sure?”.

    It’s not that I cannot afford it. I easily can. As I just thought about it, I realized it is a more overall mindset that I have.

    I like to focus on investing, earning, and saving. Spending – on the other hand – somehow invokes a negative feeling in me. I cannot really describe it. I’d have felt good investing €2.388 into Apple stock, but spending €2.388 on a laptop???

    In general, I’d describe myself as a simple and Stoic man. I don’t need any luxuries. I prefer minimalism to consumerism. I still drive a cheap used car – which totally does its job of getting me really reliably from A to B. We still live happily in a simple apartment because we see no point in upgrading to a larger and more luxurious apartment.

    For me, it’s not a question of whether I can afford something, but whether I could allocate this money in a better way.

    What could I’ve done with €2.388 instead? I could’ve hired a freelancer to program a web app for me, pay my rent for 3 months, or simply invest in Apple stock.

    Whatever. I knew that – earlier or later – I will need a new laptop. I’m still working with my 13’ MacBook Pro from 2014. It works fine – as long you restrict yourself to 2h of battery life, writing, emails, and 4 or 5 Brave Browser tabs. Everything beyond that? Not really.

    So, the purchase was totally fine.

    What I philosophize about is this “scarcity” mindset I have. Which, for quite a while after I pressed “buy” I thought “are you sure?”.

    After a while, I realized that the better way to think about (and a better mindset to have) is to say to myself: “Great purchase! Now, how can I earn €2.388 today?”.

    This reframing helped me to go from doubting my impulse buy to instantly getting back to work, be productive, and now trying to earn €2.388.

    The quintessence is the following: pay attention to your mind and reframe negative connotations to get into an abundance mindset again – as soon as possible.

  • I am not vaccinated against COVID-19. Just five years ago, in a sane and free society, I’d have laughed at myself for feeling obliged writing publicly about such a personal health choice. Unfortunately, our society is not that free anymore. The personal decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine or not ought to be an absolutely free and voluntary choice. Is this really the case?

    Click here to listen to the audio version of this article.

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  • This is a constantly updated overview of the best resources you may find useful for learning and studying human longevity.

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  • Good morning alltogether,

    Last week, I decided to quit drinking coffee for 45-days. I decided to do so, as I realized that — for a couple of weeks — I drank at least one espresso or cup of coffee a day.

    I already experimented with “not drinking coffee” in the past. When I did not drink any coffee, I had better sleep, and I actually slept less as a result. I felt more relaxed, and my focus improved.

    In my last experiment, I realized that we often drink coffee out of habit. We wake up and prepare a coffee. We arrive at the office, we drink a coffee. We have a meeting, we drink a coffee. And so on.

    Caffeine — however — is a drug which we should consume and dose wisely. If you drink a lot of coffee today, and you join my challenge and stop drinking coffee for a few days, you’ll immediately experience heavy withdrawal syndromes such as a heavy headache.

    Last time, I decided that I don’t want to quit drinking coffee entirely, but rather drink coffee much more consciously. To do so, I set up two rules:

    1. Coffee only in Companionship: Instead of drinking coffee alone by myself (like a drug addict), I decided that I will drink coffee only when I’m drinking it with another person. For example, having a coffee-business-meeting or enjoying a coffee date with my fiancée in an excellent Italian coffee shop.
    2. 3/7 Rule: Only drink coffee on three days a week. Let’s be honest, if you go to the office or attend several business meeting every day, it’s easy to drink 2-5 cups of coffee daily while drinking it socially. That’s why I decided it might be a great limit to drink coffee only on 3 days out of 7. This way, your body cannot become addicted and used to the caffeine.

    Somehow, I failed my own rules. That’s why I decided it’s time for a reset. No coffee for 45-days! Why 45-days? In the first 15-days, you’ll experience withdrawal syndromes. This will make you question you “coffee habit” and you’ll realize: “fuck, I’m a drug addict”. Thirty more days allow you to live and thrive without coffee. To experience all the positive effects of not having too much caffeine, how it is affecting your focus, sleep, workouts, and mood. After 45-days, you will either quit drinking coffee entirely or drink it much more consciously!

    I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. Will you join me?

    Have a great start into this powerful new week!

    Greetings from Kaarst, Germany with some sun and some clouds 20 °C (69 °F)
    Marius Schober