How much does it cost to rent your noodle? And does it come with protection?

Early to bed early to rise makes a the/they/she/shim/zoom/zam healthy wealthy and wise.

Chinese savings rate in the 45% range. (They're probably screwed though, because their real estate market is insane)

Japanese in the 25% range.

US savings rate in the 4% range.

Scott Galloway is a great source on this: "It's not what you earn, it's what you burn."

There's such a thing as too much of a good thing.

In the event of a big downturn, all of that savings can readily be converted to smoke by the circumstance, or the powers that be if it's in their interest.

If everybody thinks they can live off their savings while nobody works, you have another thing coming. Guess you could burn piles of cash to stay warm in the winter.

Savings (investments, etc) is best considered to be markers in a game, and the markers only have utility if enough folks are playing the game (ie participating in the economy).

Hyperinflation (which albeit unlikely is a possibility if China does something dumb with Taiwan) will take care of that 45% pretty dang fast.

If everyone in the US suddenly put away 10% of every paycheck, the economy would probably collapse overnight.

You're certainly right about the "live off savings" prediction. A huge, underappreciated looming problems for countries with aging populations. Someone has to do the heavy lifting.

Teach me please. 🙏🙏🙏

What would happen to the stock market if people were not forced to put untold billions of dollars into the stock and other markets?

Not sure where else they can put it? Cash devalues daily in an inflationary environment (+/- 5 % now). Major airline pilots are swimming in cash compared to the average US worker. Have to put it somewhere (or just spend it on consumption... gets old, real fast).

Charlie Munger (Buffet's right hand man and pessimist par excellence) isn't optimistic on what all those billions have done to underlying economic fundamentals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fF6DXc8fHo "What's Coming Is WORSE Than A Recession" - Charlie Munger's Last WARNING. Excellent production/interview. Particularly his comments on the passing of voting power to new blocs of passive index funds (he takes a dim view). He is positive on the US having a very strong economy and an advancing technological base; doomsayers need to remember this before they put it all in the 3 B's (Bullets, Bullion, Bourbon)

Saving isn't bad. It's "necessary condition, but not sufficient" for building wealth.

Real assets that produce wealth (real estate, maybe agricultural products or those who'll rent your land to do it, lord knows what else) probably better...but time consuming.

Airline pilots at the moment are in the enviable position of being able to "f around and find out" - then learn from their mistakes (without going bankrupt). There's no better teacher.

Yes, market fundamentals are quite different now in the 401k era than it was prior to the 1990's.