Category Archives: Money

February 1, 2016 · 11:55 am

Life returns and tax

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Along with millions of other people in the UK. I was preparing my tax returns for the 31st of January deadline. Other countries have a different deadline. It is a sobering experience preparing the accounts. Putting them together. Looking and dragging out old invoices, statements and receipts. Dredging through old emails and files. Adding them up, clicking and cutting and pasteing.

The reality of adding up the figures of what is or is not there. Every year we can put this together and get an idea of how much into the black or red we are. Such a clever way of finding out where we are numerically. Such a clever way for the government to add to their coffers. Who owes what and how much?

In some ways we need to have such a system to measure how far we go in our own lives. Are we just stuck or moving onwards or downward? How do we measure how we are moving? What parameters do we use? Just the black and white of figures? Our vices? The place we live in? The car we own? Our dogs? Cats? Our partner or the one we found or lost? Our children? The articles, books we have published? The jewellery we now have or lost? These things and more can be added and subtracted in our own personal tax year. Then what about the lies, untruths, deceptions – not only to others but also to ourselves? How do we tally these up? What about large corporations that do not pay tax? People that avoid it? Do they avoid life too? Or do some also have their cake and eat it? Continue reading →

The secret to a long and happy marriage

I have been watching with interest a Wedding of a relative recently. There is so much that goes into a wedding. They have planners at the hotel, then you have to plan things alongside them and the florists, the church, the registry, the reception, the dinner, the band and music. Cakes are especially purchased. In the same way cup cakes were branded by Lola’s, wedding cakes are also branded. So and so used this person to make their cake. It is not a simple unbranded thing – a cake.

Then there is the location, is it going to be in a Church? an Abbey? or a registry wedding?. Choice of hats; I was told hats are often worn. I went looking for hats and found a very scant selection at Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, Fenwicks and John Lewis up at Oxford Street. Hats used to have nearly a whole area of a store assigned to them. Then there is even insurance for a cancelled wedding. There are so many programmes on TV about weddings. I remember weddings being much simpler and less complicated. Continue reading →

Has the Greek wedding turned into a Funeral?

Remember the last time there was a financial crisis? Well there have been many in the last few decades. The Asian crisis in 1998, There was 2007 then 2008. There was Lehman Brothers, Northern rock and the queues around the block to withdraw money from a feared collapse of one bank and then many others. Some thought we were hours from doom. If you were to visit Greece a few years ago you would have felt money was all around you, now it seems to have seeped away.

Often when we are in a crisis, we forget that we have managed to survive at other points in our lives. At present there is the fear of the contagion of the Greek crisis in Europe and the world. The….What if? What if? Questions seem to go on in the newspapers and the financial markets. What if questions are anxiety filled. So much is driven by emotions, even the very markets which are meant to be about logic seems to be foaming at the mouth with fear at the moment. At these times it is best to stay still, stay tight and not make any rash decisions.

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Filed under Anxiety, Catastrophising, Money, Politics

Tagged as Catastrophisation, Greek Wedding to a Funeral, stress response to the greek funeral

November 13, 2011 · 11:42 pm

The Euro, Ireland, Greece, Italy, and the continuing Co-dependency issue.

There has been much on the news about the Euro. The euro is a central and common currency of member states in the European union. A lot has been going on about it because it seems certain states within the union have not been keeping to budgets and have been spending far more then they have. I often see parallels in the psyche and behavior and the outside political and economic world. We are after all only people, whether we are presidents, prime-ministers and royalty. We all are under the same sky and all learn behaviours from our parents and family.

What is the nearest we can find in psychotherapy with the behavior that is going on as regards the euro is what is called co-dependency. Some feel codependency is a form of inverted narcissism. It is really an unhealthy love and a very passive almost manipulative and controlling way of taking care of others. It happens in all sorts of relationships; marriage, partnerships, business, work, and especially politics. Where a person is psychologically addicted to drugs or alcohol and the other psychologically dependent on that behavior. Continue reading →

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Filed under Co-dependency, Money, Politics

Tagged as The Euro and Co-dependency, The Euro and Greece, The Euro and Ireland, The Euro and Italy

December 14, 2010 · 10:11 pm

Money, Bernie Madoff, his son, suicide and depression.

It was with sadness I read of the suicide of Bernie Madoff’s son, Mark Madoff over the week-end. I have no idea as to how much he may or may not have been involved in the ponzi scheme which his father ran and which fraudalently stole a reputed 50 billion dollars; from large institutions to small investors. There were many celebrities, reputedly even Kevin Bacon and his wife who lost all the millions they invested bar the house they were living in. A few others who were the victims of his fraud have also reputedly also commited suicide. Money, loss and its after-effects does seem to bring repercussions. Continue reading →